


Tales of Trollstopia

by Girl_in_blue_fic



Category: Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon), Trollstopia (2020)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27936742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girl_in_blue_fic/pseuds/Girl_in_blue_fic
Summary: My oneshot collection with small stories that Trollstopia inspired.  I'll follow what looks like broppy's 'first steps' of their relationship and insert small scenarious of what could have happened after the episodes.Broppy, always!
Relationships: Branch & Queen Poppy (Trolls), Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 101
Collections: Best Broppy





	1. Home Sweet Home

**Author's Note:**

> Branch and Poppy got back to the village after Barb's World Tour final concert and since Poppy's pod was destroyed, she has no place to sleep... Branch offers his bunker.

Sheila Balloon was happily sent free as soon as she dropped the Pop Trolls back on their land. Poppy waved her friend goodbye and walked, side by side, with Branch watching their friends chatting animatedly about the new styles of music they had learned that night. 

Poppy’s feet were aching and she felt like each step required a big effort. It had been a terribly long day and she wanted nothing else than a warm bath and to stretch her legs on her bed. 

Branch smiled at her from time to time. He looked a mess. His hair was completely unruly and he kept yawning. During their flight back, he mentioned the rock transformation had drained his energy. 

They glanced at each other and quickly looked away, blushing. 

They had confessed. They loved each other. 

Now what?

“Queen Poppy, you can stay in my pod with me,” Biggie turned around and looked at his friend, who was caught off guard at his words. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know,” and, to confirm his point, he pulled a few leaves out of the way, revealing Poppy’s pod completely destroyed. 

Branch gasped at the sight of their ruined village and cursed Barb under his breath. Even if they had become ‘one big party’ - as Poppy had put it - he still felt immensely frustrated with the Queen of Rock. After all, she wasn’t the type to show up for clean up. 

Poppy’s pod, along with several others, was on the floor and even some of her clothes were laying around, with burn marks and rock flames. 

“I’m so sorry, Poppy.” Biggie said, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

“Oh well,” Poppy quickly put on a happy smile, walking on top of a mushroom and addressing her friends, “tomorrow we start reconstructing our village, so everybody should get a good night of sleep. Trolls who still have your pods, take as many guests as you can. Let’s make sure everybody has a safe place to rest.”

Branch did what he did best: he watched and waited. Even the daycare pod was filled with grown up trolls that night, being one of the places that remained standing. Biggie took in three trolls, Smidge took one and so, in a few minutes everybody happily walked with their guests to grab some sleep. 

Everyone except Poppy, who happily coordinated everyone, but forgot to get a place for herself. 

“Come with me,” Branch said, rolling his eyes at the situation. 

“Oh, no Branch, I don’t want to intrude.” Poppy smiled sheepishly at him, feeling her cheeks getting hot. 

“It’s your choice, you can spend the night in the bunker, or you can stay here in the open,” he teased and Poppy quickly ran to his side, noticing that as soon as he left, she’d be by herself in the dark. “You’re not intruding, by the way,” Branch said, opening up the trapdoor and getting inside. 

“Well, I just thought that you’d enjoy peace and quiet after an eventful day,” Poppy couldn’t help a yawn and Branch smiled sympathetically at her. 

“Let’s get something clear,” Branch took her hand as soon as the elevator stopped at the lowest level. Poppy blinked a few times with big magenta eyes, which caused him to take a moment to admire her beauty before continuing, “you are welcome here. You can come in anytime you want.”

Cocking her head to the side with a slight raise of shoulder, Poppy’s smile grew wide and the blush on her cheeks made her glitter freckles sparkle. 

“Thank you, Branch.” 

“Now,” he cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles. “Do you want to eat anything?”

“Actually,” Poppy yawned again, “I’d love to shower and crash.”

An hour later, Branch was sitting inside his kitchen, removing the “Nothing Important” leaf from the photograph while sipping some tea. Poppy was already sound asleep in his bed and Branch couldn’t help but smile at himself. 

They both felt the same for each other. 

It meant they were in a relationship, right? They would support and be there for each other. He was willing to make an effort to understand her needs and she’d do the same. 

It occurred to Branch that he had no idea what love really was. He had never felt it before. It was all too new. 

Taking his robe off, Branch said goodnight to his firebugs and slipped under the blankets he had arranged on the couch. From the half open bedroom’s door he could see Poppy sound asleep with her nose buried in his pillow. A smile painted his lips while watching her. 

Baby steps. They would learn how to make it work. He was sure of it. 


	2. After the Great Idea

“I can’t believe how many trolls want to be a part of our experiment, Branch!” Poppy squealed, hugging the survivalist so tightly he almost got a bruise. 

With a goofy smile splattered on his face, Branch admired Poppy while she jumped around the bunker, tapping her feet excitedly on the floor, having a blast talking about Trollstopia. 

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she hugged him again, which made him spill some of his coffee on the floor. “It would never have worked out without your support. You’re the best-est, Branch!”

“Okay, I’m happy to help, but you've got to calm down,” he said, half serious and half laughing at her effort to restrain the happiness outburst. Poppy bit her lower lip to avoid erupting in excitement once again. “I’ll make some chamomile tea or you’ll go like this for hours.” 

Letting herself completely boneless on a chair, with her hands on her cheeks, Poppy sighed in delight. Branch disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes only to return to find her jubilation spilling out of her eyes in the form of tears. 

“Are you okay?” he quickly handed her the tea, hoping it would be enough to calm her down. 

“You’ll stand by me, won’t you?” Poppy asked, holding the tea with both her hands, feeling it warming up her palms and gently soothing her. “I mean, you weren’t messing with me, right? You really didn’t mean to be sarcastic.” There was something about Branch that she learned over the years: he could keep his tough facade in public, but when they were alone, all his walls would shatter on the floor. 

“I’m sorry about that. I’m going to work on it,” chuckling, he sat down next to her, sipping his own coffee while she allowed the tea to work its magic. “But I meant it. I’ll be there every step of the way. I’m sure in no time you’ll get Trollstopia going strong.”

“ _ We _ will.” Poppy blinked at him a few times, “Now I need you more than ever.” 

“Hun?” confusedly, he waited for her to continue. 

“Well…” she lowered her voice, sitting a bit closer. “Now that the different tribes are here we need them to be friends.” 

“Ohhh…” Branch rolled his eyes. Of course she had to make sure they were all friends straight away. “I’m not very good with ‘making friends’ as you know. How do you need me for this one?”

“Okay, first: a giant pinata!” Poppy stood up, excitedly. Branch noticed, gladly, that the excitement wasn’t as overwhelming as before, meaning the tea was already rushing through her system. “With everybody’s names on it and we’ll get them together in a buddy system.”

Funnily enough, Branch did agree that it was a great idea… and not as over elaborate as her usual plans. 

“... and then a Friend Forum!” while admiring her, Branch got lost at what she was trying to say. “With games and fun and everything to make them bound. As for plan C….”

“Wait, what?” furrowing his brows, the survivalist could see that the over-elaborate plan had always been there. 

“Naturally, the door is something only you can come up with!” and Poppy did it again; she flattered him into agreeing with her absurd plan. Of course he was excited to show her that he could, indeed, design that door. 

Finally she yawned and Branch grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’ll get the Friend Forum and the door done by morning,” Branch was quick to open the door to his bedroom, already going inside his closet to get pillows and covers to take the couch while she slept on his bed again.

The last time she had stayed over had been complete bliss to him. The following morning, after she left, he noticed that her perfume was all over his bedroom and his pillow had a marvelous strawberry scent that made him sleep soundly for days. He wanted to have that same experience again. 

“I better go home,” she blinked tiredly, stopping Branch from taking the bedsheets. 

“You could stay,” he blushed at his bold suggestion. 

“No… Branch, c’mon,” Poppy smiled at him, embarrassedly, scratching her arm. “I already took your bed that day and I still feel bad about it.” 

“I told you to take my bed,” he pointed out. 

“Well, yes, but I noticed how your back hurt from spending the night on the couch.” Branch didn’t reply to that. It was true, he had a killing backache that day, but he had thought she hadn’t noticed. 

And, approaching, Poppy timidly wrapped her arms around his neck, holding that sweet smile that made him melt inside. 

“I’ll be here by sunrise. You’ll need your strength tomorrow,” and, with another yawn and another hug, Poppy walked to the elevator, waving at him as she went to the surface. 

Taking a deep breath, Branch sat on his bed, wondering if he should get a spare room to convince her to stay more often. 

  
  
  



	3. The Red Bathing Suit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is oneshot takes place after the Branch out of Water episode :) Have fun!

Poppy tried for two days straight to wake up at four in the morning to join Branch and the techno trolls for a morning rave, but it was completely useless. While having a party at that time worked wonders for their day, Poppy’s routine became a complete mess and she had to rely on coffee to stay awake. Not to mention the headache. 

But she still hadn’t given up and she came up with a plan to surprise Branch for when he got tired of raving instead of enjoying a relaxing morning swim. It was just a matter of time. She knew him that much. 

In three days, Branch awkwardly entered her pod while she was writing thank you cards to the leaders of the other tribes. He had brought her a cup of cappuccino, but he wasn’t in the good mood that she would have expected. 

“Are you okay, Branch?” She asked, sitting down on her bed and offering him a space to join her. “Do you need to vent anything?”

“I know how I usually come to you for help and you end up supporting me in fixing my own problems…” he blurted out, blinking at her lack of response as she watched him intensely and sipped on her drink, “but this time, I really need your help.”

“I’m listening,” Poppy sat on the edge of the bed, already knowing what he would say.

“I can’t share my Hidden Place Hot Springs anymore. I miss peace and quiet.” He avoided her eyes because he thought he would see a reproachful look. “I can’t ask the techno trolls to have their days thrown off in a million horrifying ways, so I guess I’ll have to learn how to have another morning routine.” 

“Oh well, I saw that coming,” her happy squeal made Branch arch and eyebrow at her. “You persisted for three whole days, which is amazing for you!” 

“I’m not following,” Branch felt slightly offended that he was that predictable.

Poppy quickly stood up, leaving her empty cup on her scrapbook table and retrieving a piece of paper with several drawings and red marks. 

“Well, I had an idea and Fuzzbert helped me map out a way to lead the hot water right next to the bunker!” Branch just blinked at her and Poppy opened the map wider so he could see what she meant, “look, it’s a small aqueduct coming from the hot springs. If you allow me, I can have some help to dig your own private sauna. It will be ready in two days.”

“Seriously?” Branch blinked at the map, seeing that, indeed, it wasn’t difficult to build a duct to the bunker. “Are you willing to change the course of the springs for me? That’s a lot of infrastructure management!”

“All the workers are ready,” Poppy pointed out in excitement. “All we need is your permission.” 

Branch was speechless. Not only Poppy had predicted that he wouldn’t enjoy raving every day, she also had everything planned out so he wouldn’t have his day thrown off. 

“How come you made everyone agree to this so quickly?” Branch could barely believe his luck. 

“You are an important member of our community,” she blinked longingly at him, clasping her hands together with her voice filled with emotion. “We all love you and we understand you need your privacy.”

His heart leaped in joy and Branch couldn’t help himself but to engulf her in a big hug and spin her around in her pod. The only sound louder than his heart beat were her giggles. 

***

Two days later, as promised, the smell of eucalyptus invaded the corridor he had recently made to connect with the new sauna. There was no need for a secret passageway anymore; so only a door, to prevent the sound of running water from reverating through the bunker, was installed. The new ventilation shaft made the hot air get refreshed constantly. 

His small private hot spring was incredible, with a small bank in the middle, long and deep enough to swim a few laps. 

It was in the middle of the afternoon when the water sprung from the duct, but Branch couldn’t wait until next morning to try it out. So, he untied his bathrobe, hung it on the side and revealed his white shirt and red swim trunks underneath. 

Leaping in the air, he jumped head first into the water, feeling the familiar refreshing water relaxing his muscles. Quickly coming up for air, he noticed two pink feet standing right on the edge.

Looking up, he saw Poppy grinning at him, wearing a very revealing red swimsuit with a fluffy towel around her neck. 

“Hnn? Poppy…?” Branch choked on his words, seeing his girlfriend looking incredibly gorgeous. 

“Since you went all ‘Baywatch’ on me during your friendship attempt with Synth,” she giggled, “I thought we should have matching bathing suits, what do you think?” she spun around, just so he could take a very good look at her from all angles. 

Branch looked frozen, trying to control his hormones and hiding the best he could by sinking nose deep underwater. 

“To tell you the truth,” Poppy said, taking a few steps back before jumping into the hot springs and splashing water everywhere. “I’ve tried waking up at four in the morning for a couple of days, but I wasn’t successful,” Poppy swam back to her paralized boyfriend, who couldn’t take his eyes off her. “This is nice.”

“YES!” Branch yelled without noticing, but then corrected his tone. “This is nice. That’s why I do it.” 

“Well…” Poppy noticed she was making him uncomfortable and swam to the edge, pushing herself up. It was quite stupid of her, really. The whole point of having built the place was so he could have a PRIVATE swim, of course he wanted her to leave. “... glad to help.”

“What?” Branch, on the other hand, was very confused that she’d leave so soon. She wrapped herself with her towel and winked at him, trying to look like she was joking, but he knew that look. 

He made her feel like she was intruding again!

Quickly bouncing out of sight, Poppy left without another word, leaving Branch to think about a plan to quickly pay her back for such kindness and show her just how much he loved to have her around. 

  
  
  
  



	4. Objectivity

“Check. Your move was ineffective,” Laguna moved her queen to block Branch’s knight, causing the teal troll to growl in frustration. “Note: the male seems to have trouble concentrating.”

Moving a pawn randomly forward, Branch waited for the check mate that quickly followed and stood up, resenting having left his bunker that day. 

“Note: the male seems to have female problems,” at Laguna’s words, Branch quickly spun around, completely surprised that she could have seen that far into the growls he had muttered during their socialization exercise. 

“What the-? How do you-?” completely flabbergasted, Branch sat down in front of the techno scientist and crossed his arm like a spoiled child. Apparently, he was that easy to read. “It’s Poppy…”

“Ah… note: the courtship seems not to be completed,” writing on her small notebook, Laguna shot Branch a knowing look before completing, “fascinating.”

“Look, as much as I like to be a subject for you to study here, I really am frustrated so I better go back home,” and in another futile attempt to retreat, Branch was surprised by Laguna’s next words: 

“Oxytocin seems to run freely, while dopamine and testosterone seem to be lacking,” it took Branch a while to understand that Laguna was trying to offer a friendly talk about his relationship with Poppy, while having big scientific words to disguise her lack of experience on the matter. 

Perhaps it was all he needed: to see things under a scientific perspective. It was a field where he felt comfortable; unlike the recent feelings he was uncovering, they were much easier to understand. 

“I don’t really know how to get closer to her,” rubbing his face in frustration, Branch spotted a cupcake shop near them, so, abandoning the chess board, he quickly went to get some much-needed sugar to go through the talk. “It has been months since we had time to talk to each other.

“Based on recent scientific findings, love is divided in three stages: lust, attraction and attachment,” with her head completely buried in her flipping notes, Laguna followed Branch, getting a frosting covered cupcake. “While the brain drowns in testosterone and estrogen in the first stage, the second is milder, being governed by dopamine and serotonin causing the trolls in love to obsess over one another. The last stage is ruled by oxytocin which leads to long-term bonding.” 

“Wait, what you’re saying makes sense, but it seems Poppy and I are in the third stage already.” Branch was confused, he didn’t remember living the previous stages as strongly as the third. 

“Note: the couple seemed to have rushed through the first and second stages.” Laguna gave him a wicked smile, raising her eyebrows a few times. “It may be good to retry the first stages of the experiment.”

“We may be lacking some moments alone to work things out better…” Branch nodded to himself, helplessly. “But with all delegates still getting used to Trollstopia, Poppy seems to be busier than ever.” 

Laguna merely adjusted her glasses, feeling the triumph building up when Branch connected the dots himself.

“I’m not really trying to be part of her experimental city, am I?” Shrugging, the survivalist realized he had been around only when he was strictly needed and when socialization was the only way to get what he wanted. 

“Uh-huh,” Flipping more notes back, Laguna started listing Poppy’s activities that she had noted while observing how the Pop Queen related to her subjects. “She’s been giving Hug Lessons, then she was on a quest to outstand Holly Darlin’s gifts, then she went into a wormhole to help the fashion twins to get a fabric from another dimension, and just yesterday she managed Val's agenda."

“Wait, WHAT?” Branch pulled his hair, completely shocked. “She went into a wormhole? How did I not know about this?!”

“Ah well, let me check…” Laguna, once again, read her notes, “I quote: the pop troll with survivalist attitude remained in the underground fortress drinking coffee.”

Fighting the urge to face-palm, Branch growled in frustration. It was all his fault in the end. He couldn’t see how his instinct to isolate himself simply blocked Poppy. She respected him too much to give him all the privacy in the world and - his heart gave a guilty squeeze at the thought - in the first attempt to include herself in one of his activities he merely pushed her away again. 

Well, he didn’t push her away. He was paralized by her red swimsuit to do anything and she felt rejected by his lack of response.

It was when he said he loved the idea of Trollstopia, but sounded sarcastic. 

Branch wanted Poppy to come near, but when she did, he pushed her away. 

“Note: the male is sending the female mixed signals, compromising the mating process.”

Despite the blush that quickly colored his face at the techno scientist’s words, Branch couldn’t agree more. 

“I should participate more often…” his words were weary, but at least now he had an idea how to guide himself. He needed to show Poppy more appreciation, he needed simply to  _ be there _ . 

“Hey, everybody!” Both Laguna and Branch turned around to see Biggie calling all trolls from the top of a mushroom. “Queen Poppy is asking everyone to get together for an announcement. Lownote Jones needs our help!” 

Perhaps it was his chance to show Poppy she could count on him. Whatever was needed, Branch would volunteer. He was the troll for the job. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone :)


	5. Because of the Flowers

The Snug-a-lugs had left a ruined bunker behind. Branch was extremely relieved that the irresistible pets had been transported back to their dimension, but the clean-up and the repairs that were required to get his place fully functional once again were very unsettling. 

Of course, nobody stayed over to help him fix the mess. Branch was used to it, but he had had a full day and the emotional stress of having to hold back from involuntarily hugging only added to his frustration with everybody. 

“Branch?” He heard Poppy’s voice as the elevator moved to bring her down to the lounge room. The survivalist suddenly felt the frustration vanishing and being replaced by a warm rush of joy running through his body. 

Poppy’s smile brightened up his day. If once things were upsetting, after he spotted her pink form walking towards him, everything seemed more tolerable. 

“Hi…” She merely showered him a bucket and a mop that she had brought, while wearing an apron and rubber gloves. “... I came to help.”

Branch felt his insides melting at her thoughtfulness. Even if she hadn’t witnessed what he and the other trolls had been through, Lownote Jones must have told her what had happened and she was eagerly there to assist him. 

“I’m so glad you’re here!” He didn’t hold himself back and surprised Poppy by walking to her and wrapping his arms around her body in a tight and fulfilling hug. After a whole day fighting the urge to embrace and snuggle that potentially catastrophic pet, being able to just slide his arms around Poppy and enjoy the contact was pure bliss. 

Not to mention that his girlfriend was incredibly huggable.

Poppy, on the other hand, was totally caught by surprise and stood there, awkwardly hugging him back and completely unsure if she should ask what had happened. 

Branch felt her moving against him. She untied the apron and removed the rubber gloves. The bucket and mop fell on the floor and a second later her arms were responding to his hug as tightly as she could. 

To his survivalist way of life, avoiding contact for the most part of his life, such intimacy was still new. When his walls started coming down and he tried to give Poppy a hug as good as hers, he tried to mimic what she did and concentrated on the level of arm raising, and the right angle to arch his elbow so he could reach her back and leave her own arms free to respond. 

His hug was meticulously calculated. 

That is, until feelings were added to the mix. Branch noticed it wasn’t just about arms and fronts touching. His heart leaped in joy when he felt her strawberry scented hair just under his nose and there was a delicious friction when she moved against him, changing the position of her arms, but keeping her body glued to his. When she did that, he felt like he wanted something more. 

Branch wanted to kiss Poppy. 

Not that quick impulsive kiss she gave him during the World Tour… no… he wanted to dive in and explore her in a whole new way. 

Blushing at his thoughts, Branch broke the hug, not being able to look at her stunningly happy smile for a while. 

“That was a long hug,” Poppy teased, holding his hands in hers. She expected an answer, but Branch was too busy controlling the blush on his cheeks to form coherent words. “I liked it.”

“I missed you,” Branch managed to say, stealing quick glances from their joined hands to her glittery cheeks. 

That surprised Poppy. They hadn’t seen each other in a few days. She concentrated in helping her friends around town, to live a full trollstopian experience (because, of course, she was the queen in charge). And, after the fiasco with his private hot spring, she thought he needed some alone time. 

“I missed you, too,” her voice was quiet and her eyes sparkled with the expectation that he would say something else, but he looked too embarrassed to continue. So, Poppy let go of his hands and shifted back to cleaning mode. “What about I do the cleaning while you fix what was broken? Together we’ll be finished in no time.”

“That would be great,” Branch sighed in gratitude. 

Poppy was used to helping him. She surprised him several times by showing how she paid attention to his organizing methods. She even noticed he organized his rations by crunchiness level and labeled them the last time his bunker was damaged. 

While she worked, Branch fixed the steel door that burst open with the Snug-a-Lug infestation, stealing a glance at her from time to time. After the cleanup it would be a good idea to offer her something in return. He felt like he owned her something after the misunderstanding last time she had been over. 

Perhaps a night of games and pizza?

Spinning a screwdriver in the air, Branch decided to ask Poppy if she was free to stay over. He was positive that this time she’d accept his invitation. He found her in the bathroom picking cupcakes out of his bathtub. 

“Cooper was here, too?” She shot him a curious look, seeing the amount of cupcakes that she had picked up, having the second trash bag filled up; 

“Cooper is always around,” Branch rolled his eyes, remembering the nuisance of having his heavenly privacy constantly interrupted by Cooper’s wandering around. “Even when I lock the trapdoor he manages to get inside.”

“Jeez…” Poppy looked at him worriedly as she leaned over the bathtub to unplug the water. “Have you tried talking to him?” 

“Privacy is a concept too complicated for a troll to understand.” Branch scoffed, picking up the trash bags and quickly throwing them in the dumpster outside and quickly returning to find Poppy making sure the bathroom’s tiled floor was shiny and new with her pink mop. “Anyway,” the survivalist continued, seeing that his girlfriend was caught in deep thought. “I was wondering if you’d like to stay over tonight.”

Poppy stumbled on the mop and quickly looked up at him, with eyes wide and a deep blush coloring her cheeks. Branch blushed too, seeing that he had sounded incredibly forward. 

“I-I mean…- I wanted to share a pizza, if you’re willing, - of course. That’s all.” Nervously, Branch fidgeted with the screwdriver, wondering if there was anything around that needed a quick repair, so he could have an excuse to look away from Poppy’s stare. 

“I’d love to stay,” Poppy’s meekness surprised him, causing Branch to fully look into her face. 

It was ridiculous, he figured, they were both too new at romantic relationships and each step was coated with shyness, exploring their feelings and testing the waters. Their eyes locked for a long moment, trying to pick up any small signs of happiness, of anxiousness and overbearing excitement. 

Branch noticed Poppy was wearing eyeliner. 

“I’ve never seen you wearing makeup during the day,” he pointed out, breaking the spell that each other’s nearness caused. 

“Oh,” Poppy giggled, embarrassed that he had noticed, “it’s a super durable makeup from Rhythm and Blues. It’s from another dimension and all.”

“So cultural exchange is useful for girlie stuff as well.” Branch teased and Poppy playfully nudged him, walking back to the kitchen so she could finish doing the dishes. 

“We just had our second Girl’s Night. It’s incredibly fun,” she bit her lower lip and Branch couldn’t help bump her to the side so he could dry the plates she had cleaned. 

“Now, that’s interesting,” he opened the cupboard and placed the first clean plate inside, straightening back to pick the second one. “What do you girls do?”

“Well… aside from makeup, we get manicures, we do our hairs… open up about our feelings. Things like that,” Poppy answered but her voice trailed off and Branch caught that something wasn’t as cupcakes and rainbows as she made it seem. 

“Sounds like your dream party, so what’s upsetting you?” Poppy gave him the last cleaned cup and removed the rubber gloves, making Branch steal a quick glance at her cute pink manicured fingernails. 

“Val refuses to show up and the experience doesn’t feel complete without her.” Poppy took a pen and paper from her hair and quickly wrote down a note, “are you okay with margherita?” Branch hum-ed in response and a small critter quickly took the note to the pizza shop. “Anyway,” Poppy continued, “I wanted to understand Val better, but she doesn’t give me a chance.”

“You’re really good at solving problems,” Branch pointed out, earning a hopeful smile from her. “I’m sure she’ll eventually attend your party.” 

“I guess I’ll need to add some wild games to convince her that Girl’s Night is fun.” They set the table for their dinner. Branch picked up some fresh juice from the fridge and poured her a glass. “But first I need to pest her until she agrees to show up,” 

“That’s how you got me out of the bunker,” He rolled his eyes, remembering how she tirelessly invited him to parties for twenty years. 

Poppy giggled and reached for the glass of juice. Their hands accidentally brushed on one another. An electric feeling immediately rushed through both young trolls, who barely knew how to act or what to do with that much emotion that bubbled up. Poppy dipped her head down, but kept her eyes on Branch, making him sweat in embarrassment because she looked incredibly cute like that. 

The awkwardness on Branch’s part made Poppy dive into an amused curiosity. His face was turning red, he was avoiding her eyes and the sudden itch on his hair composed the unmistakable signs of his mind rushing through nervous thoughts about their relationship. 

So, Poppy realized it was up to her to be brave and say what could make things easier for him. Gently, taking his hands with hers, she felt how sweaty his palms were - the way he blinked twice going from their joined hands to her face made clear that he was nervous if she was going to be grossed out about it - but she offered nothing but tenderness.

“Look, Branch… I know this is new for both of us.” She smiled, seeing how his eyes softened up in understanding. “Love is supposed to make our lives easier. You can say whatever is on your mind,” and with a deep blush, she blinked a few times before completing, “...because I want this to work as much as you do.”

His hair shot upwards, the nervous smile got transformed into a relieved one and his back straightened immediately, causing him to grow considerably taller than her. Poppy’s chest filled up with love seeing that her words visibly lifted the weight off his shoulders. 

“Poppy, I…”

THUD-THUD-THUD

Suddenly someone knocked on the trapdoor, breaking their spell. 

“It must be the pizza.” Poppy said quietly, letting her fingers linger on his as they let go of each other. “I’ll go get it.”

Branch felt his resistance fading away as she jolly hopped out of the kitchen. Poppy was right. He was supposed to trust her with everything he wanted to say or do. If she agreed with him: good, if she didn’t then they would amicably find their way to solve their problems. 

So, he should tell her - he gulped nervously at the thought - that he wanted to kiss her. 

But of course, he pondered about it all the way through dinner. Poppy was happily chatting about ideas to go ‘savage’ on their Girls Night and he gave her a few ideas that a Hard Rock Troll could enjoy. Branch barely listened to her when she started talking about how delightful R and B’s devices to other dimensions were. Normally it would be a subject that he would talk about for hours, but he could only stare at her lips. 

Everything seemed so… safe. It was like a different world. 

“May I ask you something?” Branch asked as soon as she stopped talking. 

“Anything,” she cocked her head to the side, offering him a cute attentive gesture. 

“When did you realize you… - you know,” Hair, it was awkward even saying the words, “... that you liked me?”

“Oh…” looking around, Poppy’s eyes sparkled in the most girlish way. Her hands clasped on her cheeks to hide an immediate blush. “... well… I remember it clearly,” giving him a shy smile, she continued, “... I noticed the flowers.”

“Flowers?” Branch repeated, feeling confused.

“Yes… one day I’ve noticed the flowers were especially more beautiful… I’ve seen every single one on my path that day… and the breeze was so sweeter than before…” Branch wasn’t following, but he refrained himself from interrupting her, “... and my heart started pounding faster and I couldn’t avoid dropping by the bunker several times that day.”

“So… because of the flowers.” 

“... because you took the invitation from my hands for the first time!” she squealed, getting lost in her dreamy memories, “... and my world just got brighter after that day.”

“Wait, ‘I took your invitation for the first time’...?” Branch could barely recall when it was. She had dropped so many invitations over the years that… oh crap… Poppy had been in love with him for _years_!

He was flabbergasted and Poppy merely shrugged, sipping on her juice as if it was a completely ordinary revelation. 

Questions like ‘why she never told him’, or ‘why even after they befriended, she kept it a secret’ were on the tip of his tongue, but he chewed on them bitterly. He knew the answer to those. He never allowed her to properly approach him. 

He kept her at a cold distance. 

He was unreachable. Someone to be desired or wished from afar. 

“Well, it is late,” she stretched, cracking her back and feeling a little sore from all the cleaning. “I should get going,”

“I don’t want you to go,” the words were out before he could stop himself and Poppy froze against the counter, looking a little reluctant. “...I mean… can we pretend it’s still early? I have one thing I wanted to show you.” 

“O-Okay…” Poppy stuttered. 

Branch quickly took her hand in his and guided her to a corridor that led to his bedroom. He could feel the wild pumping of her heart through her hands. Once he walked past the door of his bedroom, though, the nervous look got replaced by an intrigued one when he stopped in front of a door she had never seen before. 

“I’ve made this for you,” Branch couldn’t believe his own audacity as he opened the door to reveal a small bedroom with a bed, a vanity and a small wardrobe. Poppy’s hand left his to cover her mouth in astonishment, “I thought that it would be a nice place to hide. You know. Your pod is opened day and night. If you need a place for peace and quiet. You could. Drop. By.” His voice broke with uncertainty. She wasn’t saying anything. Poppy just stood there, staring at the bedroom. 

“Hair, Branch…” she whispered after what seemed an eternity to him. “This is so thoughtful!”

He sighed in relief. For a second, he thought he had done something wrong. 

“So, you like it?”

“Like it?! I love it!” She squealed in excitement, jumping while clapping. She quickly went inside, inspecting every inch. “You went through all this trouble for me?! Of course, I’ll stay tonight, I… Hair, I need a quiet night for once.” 

Branch could have danced in victory right there, but he thought it would look silly so he did what was compatible with his character: he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, leaning against the doorframe. 

“I’ll go get some clothes from my pod and I’ll be right back!” She announced, quickly walking past him. “Oh, Branch, thank you so much.” 

And in a spontaneous movement, she leaned forward, giving him a sweet kiss on his cheek. 

Branch didn’t know for how long he stood there. Completely paralyzed by the enchanting feeling of her soft lips against his skin. He didn’t even see when she disappeared into the night, leaving his bunker through the trapdoor. 

All that he could think of was how lucky he was because he would share dinner AND breakfast with Poppy. 

One step closer. 

  
  
  
  



	6. Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Branch walked back to the bunker after a long day enduring Cloud Guy’s lame jokes and, by all that is troll-y, he was angry! Not only he had to put up with tasteless jokes now he had to watch his back because Val turned out not to be a trustworthy troll!

Growling quietly to himself, Branch ignored a few ‘hello’s that were directed to him and took the long way to his underground fortress. A walk usually helped calming down his nerves, although, this time, he needed to run a marathon to chill again. 

Or… he needed the one troll that was standing right there in front of the trapdoor, waiting for him with her arms crossed in front of her chest. 

“I know what you’re going to say, Poppy!” Branch said as soon as he was within hearing range. “But I can’t like that annoying Cloud!”

“Actually…” Poppy looked down and for the first time Branch noticed she still had the gift in her hands. “I came here to give you this. Even if it turned out to be a big prank, I got this for you.”

The frustration quickly melted when she said that and Branch took the gift in his hands. Poppy fidgeted nervously, looking away a few times while he unwrapped it. 

Inside were two coffee cups, one was written ‘You are my Sunshine,’ and the other “On a Cloudy Day,” Branch couldn’t help but smile, feeling his spirits immediately rising. 

“My bad for thinking you’d have coffee with Cloud Guy,” she shyly shrugged. “It’s the second time he tricked you like this and I didn’t believe you.”

“I could have coffee with you,” Branch gave her one of the cups and pulled the lever so both started descending into his home. “Thanks for the gift, I love it.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled, still feeling a little guilty for giving Branch a reproachful glance earlier that day. 

Branch noticed Poppy was slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Cloud Guy wasn’t even in her mind as much as Val. He poured them some coffee while watching her with the corner of his eyes. 

“I should talk to Demo,” Poppy blurted out when he gave her the steaming hot cup. “He is easier to talk to.”

“Really?” Branch was surprised at that and sipped his coffee while Poppy sighed and sat on top of the counter, swinging her feet from side to side. 

“Yes, you should get to know him, by the way,” the pink Queen smiled, “he’s incredibly sensitive for a Rock Troll.”

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind,” Branch replied, but he wanted to talk about the one subject that was eating Poppy up, “so… Val is the problem and not… her entire culture.”

“She seems to play on both sides, right?” Poppy growled in frustration and Branch couldn’t help chuckle discreetly at how like him she looked when she did that. “I did everything you suggested during Girl’s Night and she enjoyed herself. I thought she was cool… but…”

“Hey…” Branch was the one to offer some reason, after all, Poppy was the type of girl who would focus only on good things, so when confronted with the dark side of other trolls, she was naturally confused and it wouldn’t take long for her to think Val’s behavior was her own fault somehow. “Val is Val, the same way that Cloud Guy is Cloud Guy. They are kind of selfish when it comes to making fun of others.”

“Yeah…” Poppy smiled at her deeply smart boyfriend. “Perhaps it will take a bigger effort to get to understand her.”

“Or…” Branch offered with a smile, “maybe you should enjoy Val’s good moments and not try to understand the bad ones.” raising the cup, he offered a toast, “see the Sunshine,”

“On a Cloudy Day.” Poppy giggled, raising her cup as well. 

They spent the rest of the day together. Poppy told him about the interesting trolls that she met and how she organized her schedule to spend an equal amount of time with each tribe so she could have a full immersion experience into their culture. The Pop Queen was mesmerized by the amount of knowledge she was sucking in. 

“Is there any culture you’re really into?” she asked Branch out of curiosity. 

“Well…” Branch scratched the back on his neck, feeling a little awkward. “... I actually like Laguna a lot. As a scientist I appreciate her objective point of view.” Poppy blinked a few times and her boyfriend missed the flash of jealousy that her frozen stare showed. “She’s easy to understand.”

“I think so…” Poppy gave him her empty cup and he put it on the sink. “You’ve spent a lot of time raving with the techno trolls…”

“I meant to visit Lownote Jones today, until… you know… Cloud Guy happened and ruined my plans.” Branch said, finishing his own coffee. “All the knowledge on wormholes and alternative universes really interests me.”

“Oh, their spaceship is awesome.” Poppy giggled, remembering her own adventure with the funk girls. “You’ll love it.”

“I’ve heard you had an alternative universe adventure,” Branch pointed out and Poppy smiled guilty at him. 

“A quick one, went there and returned in one piece. No harm done,” and before her boyfriend had any reason to scold her for her lack of self-preservation instinct, Poppy jumped from the counter, landing on the ground right in front of him. “I have to go, I promised Holly I’d help with the decorations for the rodeo next week.”

Stretching, Branch nodded. He wasn’t going to ask her to stay this time. She knew she was welcomed anytime she wanted. But he did lean forward and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, making her heat up and blush a dark shade of red. 

“See you tomorrow?” Poppy asked, pretending she wasn’t internally squealing. 

“Sure, I’ll be around.” 

And as soon as an embarrassed Queen left the bunker, Branch jumped on the couch, blushing as much as she had before. He couldn’t believe how bold he was, but it felt incredibly good to know he had the liberty to touch her like that. 

Closing his eyes, Branch could only imagine the endless possibilities of their relationship… and he was going to find out. The next day he’d take a trip to alternate realities with the help of the smooth voiced funk troll. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was dying to post this chapter of Tales of Trollstopia because with this I can announce that I’m working on a parallel fanfic! I’m not sure if I’ll call it The XXX Tales of Trollstopia, BUT as the temporary title suggests, it will be an explicit type of fanfic. 
> 
> What do I mean? Well… my premise is pretty much this: since wormholes and trips to alternative universes got simplified by the smart Funk Trolls, Branch will explore different realities to see just how he and Poppy always end up together in endless possibilities. Naughty possibilities. 
> 
> I’ll make it clearer in the next chapter of Tales of Trollstopia (7), but for now, I just wanted to announce it. I haven’t started posting it, yet. I want to finish a few personal projects first. 
> 
> I will post it only on AO3 and the art will be posted only on my 18+ account.


	7. 99%

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to raise the rating of this chapter because of a comic relief scene! LOL. Beware the scene is between XX-XX.

Lownote Jones was the coolest troll Branch had ever known. It took one small tour in the spaceship for the teal trolls to realize he was in any scientist's heaven. The fracture of space and time, the possibility of turning off gravity…- wow… - the survivalist felt like his knowledge of astrophysics was merely a child’s game near what Funk Trolls had accomplished. 

With a small remote they would flick the wormholes (which now Branch was calling a portal to other realities) into any universe they wanted to. Oh, and they could scan those dimensions to find precisely what they were looking for. It was paradise! Like the amazing rainbow flavored milkshake he was having at that instant. It could only be found in dimension named 548Hz.

“So, Poppy visited an alternative reality in a completely safe trip, there’s nothing to worry about as you can see.” Lownote explained to a relieved teal troll. 

“Good to know, I was starting to get worried.” Branch said, being served a giant marshmallow by a robot. “Hey, thanks.”

“We would never allow our Queen to be harmed,” with a wink, the funk troll offered some coffee and, of course, Branch couldn’t resist, having just finished slurping the last bit of the delicious colored drink. 

When Lownote mentioned Poppy, he triggered a few thoughts. Branch noticed how everybody was referring to her as their queen and, indeed, she was the royal one in charge of Trollstopia, she had conquered her place in the delegates’ hearts quite fast. 

Hair, everybody seemed to be so easy around her. Which made Branch suddenly remember the reason he wanted to visit the Funk Spaceship in the first place. 

“You know… is it possible to take a look at one specific curve of probability?” Branch placed his fingers together, feeling a little embarrassed with the request. 

“Oh? And what would that be?” curious, but feeling that it had to do with the Pop Queen, Lownote merely adjusted his glasses, waiting for Branch to continue. 

“I was wondering what was the best way to lead… uh… my relationship with Poppy,” and as soon as he said it, Lownote grinned, as if he was waiting for that request for a long time. 

“First,” the funk troll cleared his throat, “you guys are great at keeping a low profile. There are rumors, but nobody can say you guys are together,” and with a tick of his tongue, the smooth voiced male picked up a tablet with all search panels he needed and typed a few keywords. Branch watched quietly as his curiosity slowly crawled all the way to his heart, squeezing it painfully. Lownote scoffed before continuing, “I see… you guys are together in ninety-nine percent of the possible realities.”

“Wow… really?” 

“True love, baby!” 

The good news quickly boosted Branch’s confidence like he had taken two double coffees. It felt so romantic - lame, but still romantic - that somehow, they always found a way to be together. They were just meant to be, with their flaws never getting in their way. So, he could relax a little, because they would make it work, no matter how different they were. 

“There’s even an interesting reality where you’re her snake.” Lownote laughed, flipping the screen and staring at each parallel universe in amusement. “Look,” he tapped his finger and a bigger screen showed up right in front of them. 

Amusedly, Branch watched a universe where Poppy was dressed in golden garments, with golden treads all over her. She had jet black hair and one incredibly seductive low-cut front. A teal colored snake slid over her body, going up from her legs until it hissed quietly, resting its head on her shoulder to be petted. 

“Queen of Egypt and her snake, how thrilling.” Lownote commented before flicking the screen once again. 

The next universe stabilized in a dark room with potions and candies everywhere. On top of a table, marshmallows and caramels were displayed as a witch Poppy added them to a bubblegum colored liquid she was brewing. It looked like a wooden cottage with spiders and bats living happily on the corners. 

A teal cat with blue fur on top of its head elegantly jumped on the side table to reach Poppy. It rubbed its face against hers and earned a sweet kiss and a candy to nibble. 

“When you said we were together… I thought you meant it romantically?” Branch asked in confusion, staring at the happy enamored cat. 

“We could search one… let me check…” the funk troll quickly slid to the side and found one universe where Branch and Poppy looked slightly older and a few kids that looked a lot like them were running around, playing tag. The sight made Branch melt. That was exactly what he deeply wished for. “Do you want to visit one of those universes?”

“I’d love to!” Branch immediately answered, but right after the words came out, he paused and pondered the implications of the brief visits. “Is there any sort of damage we could inflict by walking into other realities?”

“As long as we don’t interfere with their world, it will be a harmless visit,” winking at Branch, Lownote blindly picked a portal before jumping inside after the curious pop troll. 

Only, as soon as they stepped on the ground of what seemed a warmer version of his bunker, Branch immediately blushed. Lownote crashed against his back, not realizing the smaller troll had come to halt like his soul had just left his body. 

**XX-XX**

“Don’t stop!” Poppy from the alternative reality cried out in an evident sound of what she was doing. 

“By all that is troll-y…” Branch whispered to himself, breaking down in cold sweat. His and Poppy’s alternative versions were right there, naked, going at it like rabbits, clawing each other shamelessly, obscenely grunting and moaning. 

**XX-XX**

“He-ey! You got that very - _very_ \- right, baby,” Lownote adjusted his glasses, taking a better look at the scene before him. 

“We gotta go right now!” Branch nearly yelled. If the alternative versions weren’t so busy, they would certainly have heard him. He didn’t wait for Lownote to move, instead, Branch grabbed him with his hair and jumped inside the portal as quickly as he could. 

That was the quickest interdimensional travel Branch had ever had and Lownote’s grin started getting on his nerves. With a smart attitude, the funk troll merely crossed his arms.

“I get that it may not be adequate for me to go with you,” he chuckled. 

“I don’t know if it’s adequate for me to go at all,” shocked, Branch couldn’t stare at his friend in the face. He was incredibly torn between a rush of lust and an excruciating jealousy because Lownote had just got a glimpse of Poppy on her birth suit. 

“Let’s make a deal,” the funk troll smiled sympathetically, “if you ever want to go and check the universes, all you have to do is come here. I’ll take a long walk away from the spaceship to give you all the privacy you’ll need.” 

Branch didn’t really know what to say. After what he had witnessed, he was dying of curiosity to check at least a few more realities. Lownote chuckled, already knowing the answer. 

“Whenever you’re ready. The portal shifter will be right here.”

Before jumping straight into travel between alternate universes, Branch considered returning home and taking his time to calmly go through the possible consequences. 

The spaceship quickly dropped him in the middle of the village and calmly returned to its position in the sky. It was dark already; Branch barely noticed the time while he was inside. 

With a rushing mind, the survivalist walked randomly for a while. A stroll usually cleaned his head and made him think straight and objectively. 

Snooping in other universes wasn’t a rational choice, but his emotions bubbled eagerly. If went to other universes to find out the best love declaration, the best way to kiss Poppy and… hair - he blushed just to think about it - how she liked things to develop between them, then it could be considered research, right?

Suddenly, Poppy’s voice broke down the quiet of the night with Demo’s desperate one quickly following. With a frown, Branch took a shortcut between a few bushes. 

“You’ve been sneaking off to play classical music with the classical trolls!” Poppy’s eureka’s caused Branch to chuckle even before he saw her. The shrubs were too thick that day or what? He couldn’t find his way out of them!

“Fine, you’ve figured it out!” Demo sounded nervous about her findings and Branch amusedly wondered when the trolls that weren’t used to Poppy’s perceptive nature would understand that they couldn’t hide anything from her. “Now, will you get out of my hair you adorable pink lady wizard?!” 

Hearing Demo’s despair made Branch suddenly stop moving. He shouldn’t intrude in someone’s secret; Poppy had done much damage already. Quietly, Branch watched - unseen by anyone - as the rock troll led the Pop Queen to the Classical Crest 

Poppy was right. Branch should meet Demo. He looked like the kind of troll that could use some help. 

The path to the bunker seemed shorter than before and along the way, the word ‘adorable’ kept echoing in his mind, making Branch think how he and Poppy hadn’t ended up together in that one percent of the alternate realities Lownote had mentioned. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, again! Now you know what I've been planning for the other version of Tales of Trollstopia. Just a trip in naughty scenarios. I'm taking my time to post this one because I'm involved in a very serious project at the moment and I'm dedicting my energy to it. But you'll probably see the first chapter in a couple of weeks :)


	8. Stress Balls

A couple of weeks passed since Branch had been to Lownote’s spaceship. His life had almost returned to normal again, with a few flashes of memories popping up out of nowhere to inspire him during the day. He was successful, most of the time, to brush the scenes away and act like nothing had happened. 

But of course, things had changed. The knowledge that he and Poppy were meant to be in most of realities just made him relax. It could only mean they were soulmates and somehow, they would always find a way to be together. Branch was so relieved he even dared to flirt with her, acting all cowboy-like when she showed up at the Country Corral to support him. Funnily enough, the flirting made him feel very confident 

Branch was just confused why nobody seemed to catch his mojo. But it didn’t matter anymore. He’d be ready for the rodeo the next year and that gave him plenty of time to practice the lingo. 

When he walked back from the rodeo with Poppy after a disastrous afternoon with Fluffy, he noticed she was yawning more than usual. It was still in the middle of the afternoon, so Branch could only assume she hadn’t been catching enough hours of sleep. 

“What have you been up to in the past days?” Branch asked.

“Nothing much,” yawning again, Poppy tiredly answered him with half lidded eyes. “It’s just that Val keeps waking me up in the middle of the night if she needs something. She’s a night owl, apparently.”

Branch nodded sympathetically at his girlfriend. Poppy had been trying really hard to get on Val’s good side and the rock troll was a real challenge. The survivalist had done his share of observation as well. Val Thundershock was the toughest hard rock troll delegate and her attitude earned her several fans. She wasn’t going to change anytime soon.

Obviously, Poppy wanted to be available for Val whenever she needed. The Pop Queen was a perfectionist and she wouldn’t rest until she had permanently made her way into Val’s frozen heart. A friendship with a strong bond was Poppy’s goal. She wouldn’t settle for an uninterested attitude. 

They arrived at the bifurcation where they had to go separate ways, so, with another yawn, the pink girl paid him goodbye and turned her back to go towards her pod, but as soon as she did, Branch had an idea. With his new self-assured attitude, he grabbed her hand before she walked away. 

“If you really want to rest, come to sleep in the bunker. Nobody will bother you there,” he offered. For a moment, he felt unsure if she would accept it. Poppy looked surprised at his offer. Perhaps she had considered the spare room in his place as somewhere to stay only if she was already there and it was too late to go back home. “I’ll turn on full lockdown if you want me to.”

“An uneventful night of rest sounds like heaven,” she agreed with a relieved smile. 

On the way to the bunker she mentioned she needed to go to her pod to get some pajamas, but Branch let it pass unanswered and as soon as Poppy stepped into the spare bedroom she understood why. The night clothes from the last time she had stayed over were there, ironed and folded, on the bed, with clean sheets, fluffy pillow and warm blankets. Blushing, she noticed her pink panties in between the folded shirt and pants. 

“Crazy prepared,” Branch smiled smugly, helping to ease her embarrassment. “You can fill the wardrobe, if you want to. You know… to save a few trips to your pod.” 

Setting aside the mortification to know Branch had cleaned, ironed and folded her underwear, she had to admit it was incredibly thoughtful of him to have done all that. It was her fault for leaving her clothes scattered on the floor before changing and leaving in a hurry the last time. 

He was taking care of her. It was his way to show affection. Suddenly, her heart warmed up like freshly baked cookies and instinctively, her arms wrapped around Branch. Gladly, she noticed he wasn’t surprised by her touch, instead he welcomed it, feeling completely relaxed and enjoying every inch of skin that touched. 

Both noticed that the hug felt different. It wasn’t a hug time hug. It wasn’t a ‘thank you’ hug. It wasn’t a ‘congratulations’ hug. It meant to deepen their bond. It felt profoundly meaningful, soul-binding and intimate. It didn’t feel like touching was enough. Poppy wanted to literally crawl into him, like being two different trolls was too distant. 

How insane could that sound?

***

Bright blueish lights flicked inside the bunker. Poppy’s eyes opened in fright just to shut tightly close in the following moment. A thunder crashed loudly, reverberating through the walls and causing a small tremor to be felt. Heavy rain poured merciless from the sky and the Pop Queen felt the familiar panic she always had when a storm threatened the village. 

The sound of the drops broke the quietness of the underground fortress. The restless girl forced herself to think that everything was all right. She was safe and the village was safer than ever, there was no need to be edgy, specially that night when Branch was so nice to lock his home so she could have a good night of sleep. 

Oh dear… she was locked underground. During. A. Storm. How had she never thought about it before? The water went under and that was exactly where she was! Was there any possibility that the bunker could flood? 

No. It was insane. How many storms had the bunker endured? Branch was an excellent hard-working troll. He built his home with the best protection from every natural event. There was no way his adored bunker was unsafe. 

Another loud rumbling and, this time, it was so close it gave her ear a ringing sound. In a second, only the sheets remained on the bed because Poppy broke in a run towards Branch’s bedroom as fast as she could. 

“Branch!” she spun the door open without giving it a second thought. Her subconscious only had a fraction of time to register the adorable sight of her boyfriend curled on the side with Crocco rolled on the floor, before her feet led her inside the room, nearly giving him a heart attack. 

“Poppy!” he yelled, jumping up on the bed, ready to engage in a hair jitsu fight. It took him a second to get his brain fully working and notice a scared girlfriend standing in the middle of his dark bedroom. His body relaxed at the same time his heart broke at the sight of her dilated pupils. “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry,” she flinched, realizing she was going to sound ridiculously childish. “The storm is so loud down here I got scared.”

“Oh…” Branch rubbed his eyes, quickly glancing at the clock on his nightstand. He still had three hours before it was time for his morning swim. “You’re protected here,” he patiently explained. “It’s way safer than your pod.”

“I know…” feeling completely irrational and laughable, she took a step back towards the door, resenting having left her room in the first place. “I just panicked when I thought… well… we’re underground… and there could be a flood… while we’re trapped…”

“Poppy, I’ve been here for twenty years, do you think I wouldn’t design a flawless drainage system?” Branch’s nonchalant face made Poppy feel even worse for waking him up. She was about to apologize when another thunder crashed and she visibly shuddered with fear. 

Branch wondered if he should make her a hot cocoa and spend the rest of the night on the couch, watching a movie and talking until she forgot about the storm, but she was there to rest. If they stayed up, she’d be exhausted in the morning. He he just lifted his blankets; he was so tired that the implications of his offer didn’t even cross his mind;

“Get in here,” he said with a yawn. Poppy didn’t think twice before crawling in bed and gladly curled against him, feeling protected like never before. 

***

Branch dreamed about stress balls. He had a few of them during his gray years. He’d squeeze them and they would provide him great relief. But the ones he dreamed about were a bit different. First, they were incredibly warm and the texture was softer than the ones he had before. 

Like any curious troll, Branch squeezed some more, finding interesting the way they would mold against his hands. He was greatly intrigued and his mind slowly came out of the dreamy haze, having his explorations wake him up to check out what the stress balls were made of. 

A strong strawberry scent and a puff of hot air on his neck made him moan in delight. Involuntarily, his fingers closed on the stress balls again.

Immediately, Branch’s eyes shot open. They weren’t stress balls!

He felt like his soul had left his body for one terrifying moment. Completely frozen, Branch studied the way his hands were fully groping his girlfriend in her sleep. Poppy had the sweetest relaxed face, with her lips slightly parted and her forehead so close to his he could feel the heat of her body irradiating to his skin without touching. 

The survivalist concentrated on the problem - literally - on his hands. He needed to remove his palms, but he was too afraid to move and wake her up. What if she woke up and saw the way he was… squeezing them? Hair… it felt good to squeeze them.

When Branch invited into his bed, he didn’t think the huge problem he was going to have. His male body was quickly reacting to Poppy’s and she was too close not to notice it as soon as she woke up. Her lips were moist and delicate, causing a very perverted part of his mind to whisper tempting ideas like ‘just lean forward and taste them. She’ll never notice’. 

Gulping nervously, Branch stretched his fingers. Poppy softly whimpered, but didn’t wake up. It was enough for his heart to skip a beat, though. Once again, he held his breath and retreated his hands, being torn between happiness that she didn’t wake up and disappointed that he wasn’t touching her anymore. 

Before he could completely relax, he needed to fix another problem. There was no way he’d allow Poppy to wake up and feel him poking her. So, he turned around, facing the wall and doing his best to ignore the sweet and hot girlfriend on his back. 

A moan of protest was heard and Branch felt his body completely tremble in a mix of excitement and fear. He was afraid she had woken up, but before he could turn around to check on her, her arms slid around his body, embracing him from behind and burying her forehead against his neck. Her knees went up and perfectly fit in the back of his. 

By all that is troll-y, they were spooning!

Of course, Branch couldn’t sleep anymore and he lay there for hours. He missed his four am swim and nearly missed breakfast. He couldn’t get out of bed. He was enjoying Poppy too much. 

It was about seven when he felt the sleeping Queen slowly stirring behind him. His mind rushed with thoughts of what she would think to be waking up by his side. Would she realize something was off? He certainly had worked a great deal to control his hormones and he felt exhausted! 

“Branch…?” she called quietly from behind him and he, hesitantly, turned to face her. 

As soon as he saw her, he knew that was his favorite version of Poppy. She was holding herself up with an elbow. Her head was tilted to the side, with messy hair, puffy face and a tired, but glad, smile on her lips.

“Morning,” he mentally kicked himself for sounding like a squeaky mouse. 

“Morning…” Poppy’s smile grew wider and gentler. “Thank you for last night.” 

Alarmed, Branch forgot for a second that he had the purest of intentions when he invited her over… and on his bed. He could only think of how her perfect lips puckered up to say his name. 

“What time is it?” stretching, Poppy completely sat up, making him see how her shirt lifted, displaying a small portion of her pink back for him to see. “I think we overslept.”

“I’m sure we did.” Branch replied, sitting up as well. 

“Well, it’s your fault,” Poppy nudged him playfully, fluttering her long eyelashes at him. “You’re incredibly snuggly.”

With one quick kiss on his cheek, Poppy jumped up, vanishing from his bedroom before he could say anything. He heard her changing and she walked out of the guest room, pausing just outside his door, giving him the sight of her form in the cute blue dress he was used to. 

“I better go,” she said quietly and Branch felt like melting. He reached for Gary and unlocked the bunker. 

He wondered if he should say anything to her at all. ‘Thank you for sleeping with me’ wasn’t going to sound right, was it? But Poppy interrupted his thoughts.

“Thank you for being a gentleman, cowboy. I’ll see you around.”


	9. Cowboy Down

Poppy had two wonderful days full of adventures with the delegates. She had Branch to thank for the blissful night of sleep. She was well-rested, fully recovered from the nights Val had held her up late and she could fully enjoy her days and learn more about the other cultures.

Her agenda was full of activities that kept her busy and she was thankful for it because her mind would eventually blink an image of her boyfriend holding her tightly while they slept. It was embarrassing enough to be caught daydreaming about him and… hair, he was so warm, so gentle and so cozy… Poppy wondered if there was anywhere safer than arms. 

That night, even though she was frightened about the bunker’s structure, Poppy knew she had gotten herself addicted to his touch. Now she knew how it felt like to fall asleep snuggling him… and it was pure bliss. She had never had the time to study him so close like that night. While he was softly snoring, she counted every eyelash, every freckle, each frown line. Poppy felt a little guilty when he moved in his sleep, giving her enough room to settle by his side… but she didn’t want any room. She wanted to glue her body to his, to feel him closer than ever before. 

Oh boy, it was hard keeping her eagerness in check after that. She felt she was holding herself back most of the time, especially when they were in public. Friendly hugs were fine, but, oh how she wanted to take one of those long embraces during the day. But Poppy didn’t even know if he was comfortable enough to tell their closest friends that they loved each other, so she respected the distance and avoided any kind of public display of affection in front of the entire Trollstopia. 

Poppy caught a glimpse of her boyfriend walking to Country Corral to practice his rodeo abilities and quickly thought of an excuse to drag Holly out of there. She hadn’t shown the centaur troll the library yet, had she? That would be a great tour to fit in her agenda that day. 

Not that the pink girl was jealous of Holly. Oh no, far from it. Poppy as a grown-up lady, sure of herself, strong, empowered and loved the cute country girl who seemed to surprise Branch with her naturally sugary words. After all, Poppy was the queen! She was a role model of perfect friendly behavior. Disputes were out of question. 

Holly and R&B were incredibly excited about the library and Laguna met them on the way. It seemed the techno girl also sparkled some mysterious feelings on Poppy. It was quite the opposite of happiness, but it wasn’t grayish-sadness. It was a deep wish to have the scientist's knowledge to spend hours talking to Branch about things that he liked. 

Poppy caught the survivalist and Laguna playing chess the other day. It seemed like a regular thing because they were commenting how they knew each other’s moves to checkmate. At the same time that the Queen’s heart soared with pride to see her boyfriend socializing, it also wished she could be the one to make him talk about the nerdiness he enjoyed, to make him sparkle his eyes with interest while he absorbed new information. 

It sounded wrong, didn’t it? That she’d wish she could keep him in a bubble and have him all to herself. Like a spoiled child who didn’t want to share her toy. Hair… it sounded wrong again. Better start that tour at once.

“Hey, quick example, just to make sure no one is still confused. Here in Pop Tribe Library the section on critters is here, but ‘critter claws’ is _way_ over there, ‘cuz we organize our scrapbooks ‘huggabetically’…”

***

Poppy’s mind was still a little cloudy from the underwater adventure, but she successfully said goodbye to her friends and stumbled a few times on her way to the royal pod. A warm bubble bath was everything she needed to get out of the fun spell she had been under.

It didn’t take long until she was wiggling her toes with the beat of the song that was playing on the radio; Poppy sank deeper into the warm water and let the soreness of her muscles dissolve into a relaxing tingle. She washed her hair and scrubbed her skin until she was completely clean. 

The lavender scented candle spread the perfume all over the bathroom and the queen felt like she deserved to sleep earlier that day. A full night of rest in her bed wouldn’t be like sleeping next to her boyfriend, but at least she’d recover her energy.

“Poppy!” Smidge jumped inside her pod, completely breaking the heavenly atmosphere with an urgency that made the queen think they were under attack. 

“What?!” Poppy swung the bathroom’s door open, carelessly wrapped on a towel and dripping water everywhere. “What’s wrong?!”

“Oh…” with a brief instant to realize she had caught her queen in a private moment, Smidge quickly returned to her frantic yelling. “It’s Branch! He’s hurt!”

The words sounded like they came straight from a nightmare. The queen never wanted to hear that line in her life and her heart immediately sank into a waterfall of horrible possibilities that flooded her thoughts. She actually felt the blood draining from her face. 

Both girls ran so fast to the hospital that Poppy was still wet from her bath when they arrived, having just slipped a random dress on before rushing out to see what had happened. From what Smidge had said, Branch thought he was ready for another rodeo challenge and tried hugging a wild adorabull. Disaster happened when he did that. 

“You were very lucky, boy,” Poppy heard Dr. Moonbloom saying when she ran inside the examination room where Branch was being treated. The survivalist was still wearing his country clothes, he had his foot bandaged and a worried Gust was standing by his side. 

“Oh, Branch, how are you?” the Queen asked, clasping her hands together in worry. 

“Queen Poppy,” Gust took his hat off and looked gravely at her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop your friend in time.”

The word ‘friend’ echoed in the air with uneasiness for a split of second before Poppy brushed it off like she usually did when personal things got in the way of her public role. 

“OUCH!” Branch screamed when the doctor finished attending his foot. Writhing in _sympathetic_ pain, Poppy stepped closer, seeing how purple and swollen his toes were. 

“Now, you will need to rest for at least a week. You’re lucky it wasn’t broken.” 

“What? A whole week?!” Branch shrieked, sitting up. “But I can’t! I need to finish the water slide!”

“Branch,” Poppy crossed her arms over her chest and raised a warning eyebrow. Her attitude immediately put her boyfriend in his place. “The water slide can wait,” and turning to the doctor, the queen got all the instructions she would need to make sure Branch’s foot would heal properly. 

Smidge and Gust shared a worried look and the survivalist hardened his jaw, causing his lips to form a thin line. Poppy was impassive, taking notes about the medicine he was supposed to take and how tall his foot had to be so it would stimulate the blood flow and heal faster. 

“He will be in bedrest for a whole week, doctor,” Poppy said, stealing a glance at her boyfriend, who gulped miserably, “I’ll make sure of it.”

***

“C’mon, big boy. To the bed. Now.” Poppy commanded, holding Branch’s arm over her shoulder to help him hop on one foot into the bunker. 

“I’m not going to bed dirty,” he protested. 

Looking at her boyfriend from head to toes she couldn’t disagree with him. He was full of dirt and his smell wasn’t the fresh one she preferred. He was probably as itchy as he was stinky. 

“Okay, fine, but I’ll be just outside and you better hurry,” she warned him. 

Closing the door behind him, Poppy took the time to prepare his bedroom. She put several pillows on the end of the bed, thinking it was good enough to keep his foot up and then she went to the kitchen. Lucky for her, there was enough food in case he wanted to have dinner and some cupcakes as well. She wouldn’t have to cook that night. 

Cracking her back, Poppy realized she was completely exhausted. She didn’t realize she had pushed herself, after all, once she heard Branch was hurt, her own needs were immediately ignored and her focus went straight to him. 

The sound of water coming from the bathroom made her smile. He was being careful, despite the protests. The tough facade had fallen like magic once they were alone and her loving and caring boyfriend opened up to receive all the love she could give him. 

With a yawn, Poppy sat on the couch just outside the door, still hearing the soothing sound of the running water. Once he came out, she’d be ready to help him to his bedroom. The corner of her eyes was darkening and her eyelids felt heavy. Mentally, she begged for Branch to get out at once… 

***

Branch found his girlfriend asleep on the couch. Using the walls to support his weight, he approached, admiring how beautiful she looked when she slept. His mind quickly reminded him of the last time she stayed over, causing him to blush at his indiscreet memories. 

He thought about getting her a blanket, but she was sleeping oddly on her side and her arm was probably numb. She would be completely sore in the morning. 

“Poppy?” he gently rubbed her shoulder, causing her to moan in protest. “Come on, you need to go to bed,” he insisted. She tried to shoo him away like he was an annoying bug, causing him to chuckle and shake her a little harder. Successfully, she stirred.

“Oh, Branch…” she stared at him in confusion for a second, before her mind could fully focus on him. “What are you doing? To bed. Now.” She ordered, quickly fully alert and he sighed, nodding in defeat. 

Poppy slid an arm around his back and held his hand that was over her shoulders. Branch noticed she was looking tired, but her determination to see he had his medicine and proper rest made her have a sudden burst of energy. 

“Did Val keep you up again?” Branch asked, curious about what made her look like she hadn’t slept for weeks once more. 

“Oh no…” Poppy gave him a small smile, but looked away before he could see her guilty blush. “It was just one of those adventures with the girls…”

“ _Dangerous_ adventures, you mean?” he tilted his head, quickly catching a flinch from her. “Your arms and knees are skinned, don’t even try to hide it from me.”

“Well... we were in the library early today and…” as her voice cracked as she hesitantly told him all the events that occurred, Poppy couldn’t help but notice how right it felt to have a moment to tell him how was her day and to ask how was his. The dimmed light inside his bedroom probably made her feel weirdly attached to that kind of talk. Like it could happen every day while they snuggled and she’d never get tired of it. Blissful routine. “... and it was when Smidge barged in to tell me you were hurt.”

“I’ll talk to Laguna next time I meet her.” Branch winced, lifting his foot up with delicate pink palms guiding him to the pile of pillows on the end of the bed. 

“What for?” Poppy asked, making sure he was comfortable before going to his nightstand to pick up the painkillers and a glass of water. 

“Well… she is incredibly smart, but she stepped over a few safety protocols.” Branch replied, looking slightly annoyed as he took the pills. “But she’s a really nice girl, I’m sure she’ll quickly learn about safety as well.”

“I’m glad you like Laguna that much.” Poppy replied quickly, before he noticed that she wasn’t feeling as glad as she tried to sound. 

“I really do!” The growing excitement made Branch almost forget about his hurt foot. “We were talking about quantum physics the other day and she broke a joke out of nowhere! It was hilarious!” 

“Really? I like jokes.” Poppy sat on the edge of the bed, looking really interested. It was the moment she was waiting for. She could have a brainy giggle with her boyfriend. She could show him they could have fun his way, too. 

“Okay, here it goes,” Branch’s eyes sparkled and he handed her the empty glass, before continuing, “Two atoms were walking down the street when one of them stopped and told the other: hey, wait. I just lost an electron,” Poppy blinked a few times, “and the other asked ‘are you sure?’ ‘Yeah, I’m positive!’” 

Her boyfriend laughed so hard he even held his leg to keep from shaking his hurt foot. Poppy shared a few giggles and sweetly gave him a kiss on the cheek before standing up. He looked lovingly at her. 

“I’ll be in my room, just call me if you need anything.” Yawning, the pink queen quickly retreated, holding her breath. 

It was only when she shut the door of her room behind her that she allowed the panic to crawl its way to her chest. 

She didn’t understand the joke. 

***

Poppy was up at 3h45am, with half eyelids and feeling completely sleepy. Once she sat up on the bed, she felt her body heavily tilting to the side, but quickly forced herself up before she dozed off once more. She changed into her yellow bathing suit and tiptoed to Branch’s bedroom to check on him. 

Like she had suspected, he was up and trying to put his foot down to stand up on his own. He gave her a humorless smile and a roll of eyes once he realized he was caught. 

“I suspected you would try to go for your morning swim.” Poppy grinned smartly, leaning against the doorframe. “I’m way ahead of you, cowboy.”

“I really need to swim.” Branch whined, thinking that she’d make him go back to bed, but as soon as she moved, he caught sight of her yellow bathing suit and tilted his head in confusion. 

“I’m going to help you.” She offered an answer at his questioning look, approaching and stretching her hands to support him as he stood up. “If you just float around it will work.” 

And indeed, it worked perfectly. Poppy wrapped his foot on film and tied an extra plastic bag on it so he wouldn’t wet the bandages. She got inside his private hot spring and offered her shoulder for him to lay his head on. Gently, she pulled him inside while he held his leg up. 

It was ridiculous. Branch couldn’t help but chuckle at their current situation and Poppy joined him with giggles, feeling incredibly happy that she could help him through his routine. Ridiculously perfect. 

“Poppy…?” Branch called her in a voice that was just above a whisper. Glancing up at her, with his upside-down view, he admired how adoringly her hair was plastered to her wet cheeks and couldn’t avoid reaching up to softy touch her face. “... why are you wearing the yellow bathing suit?”

“Oh…” she blushed, quickly looking away, but not avoiding his touch. She kept walking around in the water, carrying him with her. “... you didn’t seem to like the other one.”

“I loved it,” he replied automatically, without a second thought. This time, both were blushing. “I’m sorry if I made you think I didn’t.”

“It’s okay.” Poppy quickly replied, pulling him to the edge so he could hold himself up. “I’m going to make some breakfast.”

“No, wait.” Branch wasn’t done talking. He felt an urge to chat more, to have more time with her and to clear the air. Poppy pushed herself against the edge and sat down, keeping her legs into the water, waiting for him to continue. “What I meant to say is that I wish you’d wear it again.”

“Sorry, Branch,” dejectedly, the queen looked down, suddenly feeling very intrigued with her knees. “I’ve returned it.” 

Silence fell with the heavy feeling of wrong-doing. Branch resented his lack of talk about her looks and Poppy felt sorry for not being able to wear it again. 

“I’ll have to go help Val with a jam section.” Poppy stood once more, helping him out of the water. “Then I promised Minuette, I’ll watch her mouth guitar performance again,” the queen was already drying herself with a fluffy towel when Branch finally unwrapped his foot. “I’ll get breakfast ready. I’ll drop by with some take out for lunch,” with a sinking heart, Branch realized she wasn’t going to stay indoors with him the whole day as he had hoped. “I’ll see if Smidge can replace me at school today so, hopefully, I’ll be here for dinner.” 

“I see…” the survivalist breathed out, drying himself as well. 

“Do you want to be left alone or do you want me to get someone to keep you company?” Poppy asked, helping him into the kitchen. 

“Nah, I’ll be fine. I need to get some ration inventory done anyway.” 

“Are you sure? Because I could get Laguna to come over to play chess with you.”

Branch studied his girlfriend. She was standing up by the stove, preparing some scrambled eggs for breakfast. She moved briskly all over the kitchen, as if she needed to keep herself busy. The white robe over the yellow bathing suit was hiding her figure. 

He took a deep breath. She was like his personal angel.

“Poppy…?” Branch called, making her turn around and lock her eyes with his. “I love you.”


	10. Cowboy Down Part Two

Branch was overjoyed. He was going to take the bandage off the next day and it was Poppy’s day off, meaning the pink queen was going to stay in the bunker with him all afternoon. That morning, she had woken up to help him with the swimming and as soon as they were done having breakfast, she left to take fresh clothes from her pod. 

The survivalist was ordered to stay on the couch until she came back and he apprehensively saw that she took her laundry with her. He wondered if she was insulted that he had cleaned her clothes last time… or perhaps she didn’t like how he folded them? What could he have done wrong that she wouldn’t want him touching her laundry again?

Poppy made sure he had cupcakes, chips, coffee and water on the side table so he wouldn’t need to move around until she returned. Always thoughtful, his girlfriend also made his bed and left some cards and books within reach. 

So, theoretically, Branch wouldn’t have to move for a couple of hours. His foot was comfortably up and completely painless. 

A sip of coffee and a few flips of pages filled with poems later, Branch had a feeling something was off inside the lounge room. Lifting his eyes from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, he growled in suspicion and scanned the walls and the floor, internally begging for it not to be Cloud Guy with another one of his pestering jokes. 

A small yellow cloth caught his attention right on the hall that led to the bedrooms. Poppy probably had dropped something while she was carrying her laundry away. Since the mystery was solved, Branch returned to his book. ‘ _Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’_ One blink and his eyes set on the yellow cloth again. 

Suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind: what if it was her panties? The tension built up like steel. Last time he accidentally threw her panties inside the washing machine, not knowing that it was inside her pajama’s pants. He had felt like he had invaded the most sacred part of her privacy and there was nothing he could do, but iron and fold them. 

And, aside the embarrassment, he wondered what Poppy looked like wearing them. Only them. 

That was beyond the decency line and Branch mentally scolded himself for thinking of his girlfriend like that. It was a dangerous thought. Once he opened that door, there was no turning back. Hugs weren’t enough anymore and if he allowed his thoughts to go down that path… no! He had to stop himself. Poppy certainly wasn’t ready for that step, yet. 

And was he? 

It was all too new for him. A few years ago, he knew nothing but fear, anger and anxiety provided by - now their good friends - the Bergens. He never even thought about hugging someone. His arms and hands were strictly used to set up traps and tear Poppy’s invitations apart. But the new feelings were just _too good_. He could think of nothing for too long without wondering about her hugs, how he wanted to run his hands over her body, to feel her lips, her skin and dive his nose into her hair and _breathe her_. 

Oh, to the Hair with it! 

Not as carefully as he should, Branch stood up and hopped in one leg until he reached the intriguing yellow cloth on the floor. 

Each jump provided him a memory from the previous days. 

She had slept inside the bunker for exactly six nights. On the first one he was in too much pain and got knocked out with medicine, but he made an effort to wake up early to go to his private sauna. Only, he had forgotten how Poppy was obsessed with achieving the best score at everything she did. If she was playing the nurse, she was going to be the _perfect_ nurse and she helped him through his morning routine. 

Another jump.

The second night Branch wasn’t in an excruciating pain and he was able to sleep without painkillers. It made him a light sleeper and he noticed how she woke up not long after midnight to drink some water. He pretended to be asleep just when she passed by his room and carefully opened his door to check on him. 

One more jump and he was able to hold himself up against the wall. 

The third night he couldn’t hold his bladder and had to go to the bathroom. He quietly made his way out of the bedroom to relieve himself and couldn’t help but peek inside her room while he passed by. Branch made a small note - in his defense - that the door was fully open like it invited him in. 

His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. 

Poppy was laying on her back, her blankets were halfway on the floor. One arm was raised to the side of her head and the other was stretched out. It was a warm night so she was wearing a pair of pajamas shorts and a yellow top. That top was raised, exposing her dreamily pink skin. And her glossy lips were slightly parted, breathing softly. 

Of course, he had trouble peeing after that and he caught himself dreaming about her sleeping exactly like that, only in his bed, by his side. 

One more jump. 

The fourth night wasn’t so eventful, but he noticed a certain routine in her sleep. She’d always wake up in the middle of the night, then drink water, then she’d check on him. That night, specifically she approached his bed and put a hand on his forehead. Branch knew he didn’t have a fever, but he wondered if she did because her body was so hot that her hand nearly burned him. He mentally noted that her body heat would increase considerably in her sleep. 

One last jump. 

The fifth night Poppy told him she would be home late so she made sure he had everything he needed to go to sleep. He asked what it was so important that she’d cut her hours of sleep short and she merely said she needed to show support to a trollstopian citizen. In the morning, during their swim, she said Minuet was amazing at Mouth Guitar and her lack of sleep was totally worth it. 

And Branch did notice his hurt foot made her change her routine completely. Poppy never complained about helping him with his swim, but waking up so early was challenging. He noticed she had dozed off standing up against the counter the other day, with a cup of coffee in her hand. There was a night when she slept on top of her blankets while waiting for him to finish bathing. 

Branch had to show how much he appreciated what she was doing for him. 

He reached his goal. Bending down, he picked up the yellow cloth, balancing himself in one foot. Blushing as soon as he saw it clearly, he confirmed that it was her panties. 

He studied it for a while. The fabric was a bit different than her regular clothes. It was colder, lighter… and incredibly arousing. 

Pondering about what he should do with it, he looked at her bedroom. If he placed it inside, she’d never know he actually saw them… or maybe he should just throw them in the laundry basket along with his own clothes and do what he did last time. The unmistakable scent of strawberries invaded his nostrils, sending him to a thrilling hormone ride. 

“What are you doing?” 

His soul left his body for a second. Poppy stood right behind him, looking puzzled and blushing. Branch was caught holding her panties close to his face. His mouth dropped open in mortification and he could barely mutter a few stuttered sounds without actually forming any comprehensible word.

“... are you… sniffing my underwear?” 

Death seemed a reasonable escape from that situation. He considered running for his life and hurting his foot all over again. He expected a slap for perverted actions or even a huge break up. So, he closed his eyes and waited for the unavoidable punishment. 

Only, Poppy was the most considerate troll he had ever known. He felt when she approached and picked her panties from his hands. For a long time, nothing else happened so he ended up opening his eyes to see her feeling as nervous as he was. 

“Let’s pretend it never happened,” she offered and he let go of the breath he was holding without even realizing. His body tingled painfully and he couldn’t meet her eyes. Poppy continued, with her tone somewhat quieter than usual. “I came back wondering if you’d like to go for a swim again.”

Too shaken up to think properly, Branch could only nod. His body stood stubbornly still, slowly riding out the shock of being caught. He barely noticed when Poppy disappeared inside her bedroom, carrying a big bag and shortly returned wearing her usual yellow bathing suit. 

Oh, frosting, Poppy in a bathing suit didn’t help his case. He did notice as she shyly approached, feeling oddly cold, and placed herself by his side, with his arm around her shoulder like she did since he had gotten hurt. 

“Are you going to swim, too or are you just going to sit on the edge?” Poppy asked with a hoarse voice and Branch frowned, suddenly sobering out of his dancing hormones. Her hair was damp and her skin was so cold that it looked pale. He immediately connected the dots: it was probably raining outside and she wanted to swim to warm up. 

“I’ll just sit on the edge,” he replied, wrapping his arm around her tighter, so he could provide a little heat. 

Silence fell between them. Poppy didn’t say anything, not even when Cooper dashed out of the sauna, laughing and dripping water everywhere. The funk troll’s good morning went unanswered. Branch just growled about the mess and the Queen frowned at the sudden intrusion. 

It was the first time the survivalist actually saw Poppy getting upset with a friend and he couldn’t help but compare the girl before they became friends and the girl he was dating now. When she was a Princess, she barely cared about his privacy when she invited everybody inside his bunker… but now… she seemed to mind any kind of intrusion.

Branch quietly watched when she jumped inside the hot water and swam around for a few laps before relaxing and floating. 

They had grown so much alike. He noticed she’d sip her tea or coffee in a similar way he did. That worked both ways. He had been acting like her, too. Branch felt like he needed to talk more and meet the other tribes. He was socializing more and he wasn’t suffering through it. 

When Branch returned from his spaced-out mind, he nervously gulped. Poppy was laying on a stone, with her back turned to him. There was no way he could avoid noticing how beautiful she looked with many curves displayed like a portrait. He had to kiss her. He had to find the courage to ask and then just sweep her off her feet and touch her lips with his. 

She pushed herself up with an elbow and twisted her body around to reach a towel on the floor. Unblinkingly, Branch watched when her muscles stretched, displaying how flexible and deliciously inviting she was. 

He went into a contemplating state that endured most of the afternoon. He noticed how she tied her hair up in a bum, looking sexily messy. She had slipped on jeans shorts and a blue top and cooked a mouthwatering macaroni for lunch. He had never noticed how pretty she looked when cooking. 

Most of the time she talked about what she was learning about the other tribes. She insisted he had to know more about the Rock Trolls. She had a feeling he’d love them, especially Demo, who had seemed much more open about other cultures than Val. 

Hearing the male troll’s name, though, made Branch imperceptibly frown. He did remember when he heard Demo referring to Poppy as ‘adorable’ and it annoyed him. Somehow, Branch felt he was the only one who could give her cute nicknames. Frosting… he was getting possessive. It was really bad because she was the queen, meaning she belonged to the community. He couldn’t be possessive. He didn’t have the right;

“I will talk to Cooper about the constant visits,” Poppy said, not looking up from her scrapbook. They had been sitting in the lounge room. Branch had a book up to his face, but he hadn’t turned a page in several minutes. Poppy was on the floor, cutting the same character for the past hour. 

“What?”

“It’s not right that he shows up out of the blue every time,” turning around, Poppy rested her arm on the couch, right by his side, while still sitting on the floor. With one delicate finger, she traced his leg until she reached the bandage on his foot and contemplated it for a while. “I know you value your privacy.”

“You’re right.” Branch closed his eyes to feel the excitement rising with the innocent touch of the tip of her finger. “But I want to be part of the community. I haven’t seen other trolls locking their homes.”

“You’re different…” Poppy said with a smile. “You’re special,” he could pinpoint the moment the word made her reflect on what happened to him. Raising his hands in panic, he tried to block what he knew that was coming. The crushing guilty was there before he could do much about it, “Oh… hair Branch. It’s my fault you got hurt!”

“What? Of course not!”

“You were right!” standing up, Poppy paced around the room, tapping her finger on her chin a few times. “I say you’re special, but if I tell that to everyone then it means nothing to you.”

“It means a lot, Poppy, don’t worry about it.” He laughed, fruitlessly trying to break the tension that was obviously clouding up above her head. 

“No, no…” she spun around, quickly sitting by his side and grabbing his hands with hers. “You must realize I do think you’re an outstanding troll, Branch,” he could sense the desperation in her voice as she continued, “You’re not just very important to the community, you are a remarkable troll and I value you so much.”

The survivalist was stunned into silence. An excited tremble ran through his body as her hands slid up his arms to clasp behind his neck as she leaned forward to touch her forehead with his. They were so close… her lips were merely a whisper apart. 

“You don’t have to prove yourself in a rodeo or anywhere. If you want to stay inside it’s okay and if you want to meet other trolls it’s okay as well. You taught me so much and I’m a better Queen because of you. If that’s not being special, I don’t know what is.” 

That was his cue. His heartbeat was so wild he felt his ears pumping. With a shaking finger, Branch lifted her face, angling her lips up. He saw the way her mouth slightly parted and the smooth shine on her lower lip. Her eyes fluttered close and he felt her quiet intake of breath. 

“Hey, guys, have you seen my hat?” Cooper yelled, jumping into the lounge room with a maniac laugh. 

Poppy and Branch quickly flew apart, both ending up in each side of the couch, looking incredibly red. 

“Oh, look! It was in my head the whole time!” And a few more laughs and two cupcakes later, Cooper tap danced his way to the elevator. “Thanks for the help!”

Branch could barely say anything to his flustered girlfriend. Quiet and frustrated, Poppy returned to her scrapbook and he lifted the book to his face once again, not being able to focus on the story, but with his mind running with several curse words that he could never dare to voice out loud. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter. I'm having a few rough days around here, but I'll try to keep the regular posts. :)


	11. An Important Talk

Poppy had noticed Branch didn’t visit Demo or the Rock Trolls like he said he would. Since his foot healed, he dove into work to make it up for the lost time. She wished to see him socializing more, having as much fun as she was having and she had a suspicion that he hadn’t even stepped close to the Classical Crest, yet. Surely, he had talked to Dante during the Cloud Guy annoyversary, but she hadn’t seen him attending any events there. 

Like an answer to her wonderings, Branch sprung out of a bush and desperately asked for her help to stop Dante from following him around. Well… the timing wasn’t the best because Smidge still needed a lot of consolation, but being Dante’s muse was just the perfect opportunity for them to engage in a real conversation and get to _really_ know each other. 

Her extroverted and positive side spoke louder, quickly answering for Branch even against his will. 

“Not good enough. Dante, Branch would love to be your muse.”

Poppy only realized that she had imposed her wishes on her boyfriend after half of the day had passed. She was quietly having a snack in the middle of an oddly quiet village when she spotted Cooper chatting animatedly with Lownote Jones. The memory of the previous week when the four-legged troll interrupted a private moment made her wonder about her actions. 

It wasn’t very supportive of her to make Branch do things he wasn’t comfortable with… her boyfriend was supposed to grow to love the community in his own time… 

A familiar guilt made her feel unwell and she walked towards the bunker, thinking of a way to fix her mistake. Perhaps she could offer some help to inspire Dante so he would leave the survivalist alone… 

But… to her immense surprise, Poppy noticed more trolls walking towards the underground fortress. It was really odd because usually she was the only one to constantly visit Branch. 

Flabbergasted, she watched as a mob of fascinated trolls jumped inside the bunker from different secret entrances, she thought only she knew about. Trolls from every tribe were there, holding papers and pens, looking like they were desperate to take notes. 

Or… to get inspired. 

Oh, cupcakes! Branch would freak out with that many trolls inside his home! 

And Poppy was right, just as she got inside, she saw him revealing he had made Dante believe he had composed the symphony during his sleep. Her stomach tied in a knot when Branch explained how he had used Minuet and the familiarity of his plan struck home. Poppy had manipulated him exactly the same way, years before, to make him build the Graygon monster. 

Perhaps they were becoming too much alike… 

“I sort of messed this up, didn’t I?” Branch asked her, dejected staring at the result of his own games in the form of classical music. 

“Yep… but it’s not too late to make it right.” Poppy replied, realizing she should take her own advice and fix her mistakes.

As Branch walked away to talk to Dante, Poppy turned around, seeing her friends all standing there, looking confused and about to walk out without the inspiration they were searching for. It was her chance to talk to all of them at once, so Poppy put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath, straightening her back and projecting her voice out as a true Queen. 

“Listen up, everyone. I have to go through some serious talk…” she announced, seeing everybody exchanging some nervous glances. “This is wrong,” Poppy continued, walking around so she wouldn’t focus on anyone in particular. “We can’t come inside Branch’s bunker unannounced like this. He values his privacy.”

Biggie looked at Guy Diamond, finally understanding what Poppy meant; 

“We grew up having our homes open all the time, but Branch grew up alone and he is making an effort to live like us. He needs his place to recharge, to collect his thoughts and… to have his moments with himself,” at this, she glared at Cooper, who nervously laughed at her. “Come inside ONLY when you’re invited.”

By the end of the day, the queen’s words had spread through Trollstopia. Poppy wasn’t naive to think one single speech would cause everyone to suddenly forget their natural urges to just barge into the bunker, but she hoped that at least now, they would hold back and realize that Branch was different and they needed to respect that. 

And perhaps Cooper wouldn’t interrupt another private moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick chapter to set things right. :)


	12. Bunny Pajamas

“You’re not going to say a word until I’m finished, okay?” Poppy looked threatening and Branch could only mutter a scared whine in agreement. “You’re not an expert at being uncool; I can understand you think you’re socially awkward, but that’s the old you. Stop putting yourself down.”

When Branch didn’t protest, Poppy went to her wardrobe and started picking up fresh clothes to fill her backpack. The teal troll quietly stared at her, not sure if he was supposed to say anything because he was too afraid it could start an argument. 

But he did notice the items she was collecting: one big oversized cat onesie, her collection of Glitterborne Chronicles and a bag of marshmallows as big as her hair. 

“Uh… Poppy? What are you doing?” Branch asked, getting really intrigued by everything she was going to take to the bunker. 

“We’re having an ‘uncool’ sleepover;” Poppy announced, leaving her pod with Branch following close behind, “you get that bunny pajamas of yours and join me.”

Her boyfriend couldn’t be more stunned. He nearly tripped on his jaw as he walked behind her, thinking of a good excuse not to wear his embarrassing outfit. The worst of it all was that she had the cutest sparkle on her eyes and the broadest smile on her lips. 

Branch went mentally through several ideas to turn her down without hurting her feelings. He showered with his mind running so wild that once he got out, he wasn’t sure he had scrubbed everything, so he returned for a second round. 

He heard giggles coming from her room and sighed in frustration. Promising himself that he’d wear the stupid pajamas only for five minutes before complaining about the heat, he slipped it on, brushing the long fluffy ears out of his face. 

Frosting… it was ridiculous. In two minutes, he’d take it off. There was no way he would…- he stopped abruptly as soon as he pushed the door of Poppy’s room open. She was half sitting on the bed, against the wall, wearing her cat outfit and looking incredibly cute with a blue marshmallow in her mouth, flipping scrapbook pages. 

“There you are!” She squealed, standing up on the mattress and holding her hands so he would enjoy her. 

“For your information, this is really unnecessary,” he growled, trying to keep his tough troll facade, but Poppy wouldn’t fall for it. Instead, she just put a marshmallow in his mouth and petted his bunny ears. 

“I have some nerdy and uncool side as well,” Poppy revealed, taking him by surprise. “And I have a ‘party of me’ once a week. Where I do all the coolest uncool things, I’ll reveal to you today.”

The teasing and the over-excited grin made Branch roll his eyes and join her at once. Quickly Poppy pulled a scrapbook open and showed him her favorite part. 

“Glitterborn Chronicles!” She squealed when Branch picked it up. “Lady Marigold is the best!”

“Oh yes, I’ve read that one.” Branch flipped it, unenthusiastically, to Poppy’s complete dismay. “I read it like a million years ago. It’s where I got the idea for the game Cupcakes and Caverns.”

“Shut up!” Poppy held her hands under her chin, looking at him with bouncy feet. “I can’t believe we like the same book!”

“Uh, I didn’t say I like it,” Branch hated to break the news to her like that, but it had to be done. “I said I read it. It’s too glittery for my taste.” 

“Oh…” Her excitement visibly diminished to his comfort zone, and Branch took his time eating more candy. “Well, get ready, then!” 

“For what?” he accepted her hand as she pulled him up just to hit him with a pillow. 

“Pillow fight! For old times’ sake!” Poppy yelped playfully, running out of the room as soon as he sat up again, ready to counter-attack. 

“Oh, just you wait!” He laughed, “get back here!”

***

Poppy was an excellent player. It amused him that she archived to win every single game they played. He found her under the kitchen table and she managed to hit him straight in the face before running off again, turning the pillow fight into a hide and seek as well. 

The truce came right after he managed to catch her when she was about to close the door on his face and they ended up jumping up on the bed like two kids while gasping to catch their breaths. 

“Okay, stop.” Branch laughed, laying on his back, completely exhausted and forgetting that he was still wearing his bunny pajamas. “I’m too old for this,” he managed to say, stretching and feeling his back cracking loudly. 

“We’re never too old to have fun.” Poppy replied, sitting down by his side. It could have been Branch’s imagination, but she held herself up in one arm, leaning over him and with her long eyelashes blinking slowly and flirtatiously at him. “But I can fix you in no time. Turn around.” she commanded. Branch looked up at her, completely taken by surprise. She raised her hands and sighed dramatically, “I’m not going to hurt you!”

Obediently and with his heart beating in his throat, Branch turned around to lay on his stomach just to have her exasperatedly nudging him to sit up again. 

“What?” he asked, innocently, “I did what you told me to,”

“Yes…” Poppy blushed, inching close and placing her hands on his chest. Blanch swallowed nervously as she unzipped his pajamas. “I can’t do it properly with you wearing this, can I?” Her cheeks turned bright pink when she noticed he wasn’t wearing his leaf vest underneath, matching his own blush. “L-lay down…” she quickly said and Branch lay back down without another word. 

Awkwardly glorious. That was probably the perfect expression to explain how Branch felt at that moment. The mattress shifted and he felt Poppy’s cat covered legs on each side of his bottom. Her hands went up to his shoulders and the tip of her fingers pressed the spots that he didn’t even know that were sore, massaging quietly, but firmly. 

“You’re all stiff…” He heard her commenting and buried his forehead in his arms, hiding his burning face from her. Thank goodness she was on his back, because yes, he was stiff… and she had no idea how much. “...You’re not taking proper care of yourself, are you?” He didn’t intend to moan an answer, but that’s exactly what he did. 

Poppy’s fingers trailed down to the middle of back, pressuring his spine and getting some cracking noises that provided immediate relief for him. He didn’t know she was so… talented. 

Branch had to bite his lip down to keep from making more noises. Poppy sat down on his butt, completely focusing on his back and oblivious about the reaction her warm and delicious body caused. The way the inside of her legs felt while irradiating the heat on the outside of his was so thrilling that he completely forgot she was giving him a back massage.

It wasn’t right… she didn’t know what she was doing to him… and he couldn’t take advantage of her like that. 

“I’m good now, Poppy, thanks,” he pushed his arms up, causing her to fall on her side. He quickly pulled the zipper up to cover himself. 

“What….?” she tried to ask in confusion, but she was too surprised by his sudden change of spirits to complete the thought. 

“It’s late, we should sleep.” he tried to amend, without looking at her and walking forward a bit hunched, trying to hide the best he could. 

“Wait… Branch!” the hint of desperation was clear in her voice and Branch silently winced. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t turn around. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No…” he choked out, completing in his mind that she had done the exact opposite. She did everything so perfectly right… 

“Then, why are you leaving?” She was sad and confused and Branch silently stood there, trying to get his body under control so he could face her again. “I see…” breathlessly, he heard when the bed sheets ruffled on the floor as she heavily sat down on the mattress. “... you don’t really want this, do you?”

That certainly did the favor he needed and his body immediately cooled down. Safely turning around, Branch stared at a crestfallen Poppy sitting on the edge of the bed, with the cat head covering the most part of her face. 

He could almost hear her heart breaking. 

“I understand you may not be prepared for this…” she continued saying with her voice waving with emotion. “... but I really just wanted to just touch you more.”

“That’s not…” what was he supposed to say? He really wanted to touch her, too, but she had no idea what she could do to him. 

“I should go…” She whispered, quickly jumping off the bed and picking up her scrapbooks from the floor. She didn’t care if she was going to step outside in her pajamas, she just needed to get out of there and recollect her thoughts. 

“No, Poppy, don’t go. I’m sorry.” Branch stood on the door, blocking her way. “You’ve got it all wrong.”

“Wrong?” She stood back, placing her precious scrapbooks on the bed once again. “You’ve made it perfectly clear that you’re grossed out by me.” 

“I’m not grossed out, Poppy,-”

“Why do you flinch away when I touch you, then?” At this point, she felt no shame in showing him her tears and Branch didn’t know what else to say to find a polite way to explain it to her. “First it was the swimsuit, then we shared a bed and you didn't do anything, and then…”

“Because I love you,” he saw her eyes filling with conflicting emotions. She believed him, after all he had said so more than once, but at the same time, she _didn’t_. “I burn for you so much I feel like I’ll turn to ashes when you touch me.” One hand shot up to her chest and she quietly watched him. Licking his lips, Branch continued, “I’m afraid I won’t behave properly if you…” his voice trailed off… he couldn’t exactly find the words to explain the things he might do to his queen. Hair, the things he saw - in Lownote’s spaceship - that he _could do_ to his queen.

“... I may be willing…” Branch’s lip tightened in a line when she began speaking, interrupting his previous thoughts “... to accept a little misbehavior.” 

His hands were shaking so hard he didn’t know what to do with them. Her hands were warm and she approached him, looking at the zipper on his pajamas. She hesitated a minute and when he didn’t stop her, she slid it down once again. 

Her lips were slightly parted and, bravely, Branch stood there, feeling the bewitching way she explored his body with the tip of her fingers. First, she went up from his stomach, testing his skin texture, stopping at a few marks he had earned from an accident or two while setting traps. Trying to ignore the feelings she was causing him; the teal troll didn’t notice that she was completely enchanted by him.

“Where is it proper for me to touch you?” Poppy asked, studying how his arms were rigid on his sides, like a soldier. She really enjoyed the way he looked like he could carry her with ease. Walking to his back, she touched his scapula, tracing his lines. “Can I touch you here?”

Whimpering and feeling like he didn’t have enough willpower to endure her torture any longer, Branch tried to swallow a lump in his throat, realizing it was getting hard to breathe. 

“I really like your ears…” and the next moment, her arms circled him from behind and she nipped his earlobe causing his world to turn dark. 

***

Smidge had gathered the Snack Pack to talk about how important it was for them to ask Branch for forgiveness. They hadn’t realized how smothering their constant invasions had been. They had gotten a huge gift basket and a card for him. 

“Head between your knees, Branch. Breathe!” The gang came to halt when they arrived at the trap door. Poppy stood there, wearing a cat onesie fanning Branch with a towel, while the survivalist barely managed to keep himself up, hyperventilating. 

“Oh, I know that bunny pajamas!” Biggie said with a big grin. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bridgerton inspired some of the dialogues because... why not? LOL.


	13. Raise Hell

Demo was a Rock Troll who was surprisingly easy to talk to. Poppy had been right and once Branch gathered the courage to go properly introduce himself, he was unexpectedly pulled into hours of conversation about music, life at Volcano Rock City and how deep and full of emotions rock and roll could be. 

The two males instantly became friends and Branch found himself enjoying jam sections every week. It became a great tension outlet and the songs were always meaningful with the coolest guitar solos. It took him several days to come to the conclusion that he loved Hard Rock. It was the culture he felt most attached to. Techno was cool, Funk was interesting, Country was fun, Classical merely brushed his curiosity so far, but - by all that is troll-y - Hard Rock made his soul crave for more. 

Hard Rock hit home quickly and Branch wondered what the Pop Queen would say once she found out that his birth music style was falling behind. 

Thinking about his girlfriend made Branch blush. She hadn’t slept at the bunker since the sleepover accident. Bravely, she dropped by regularly to check on him and to engage in some random conversation, but that was it. Poppy always seemed stunningly put together when they met, like she had accepted that they were stuck in a limbo where skin contact couldn’t go further than hugs to spare him an anxiety attack. 

“Jeez, man, are you going to stand there forever?” Demo said, stepping out of his shelter inside Hard Rock Hollow. Branch hadn’t realized he had been standing there like a statue, holding his guitar case for the past half hour. 

“Ah… sorry… I spaced out for a minute.” Branch laughed humorously, following his friend inside. 

“No harm done; Val didn’t show up, yet.” Demo grinned, “So I had time to practice some old rock songs that she thinks are too mushy for her vibe.”

“Is there such a thing as mushy rock songs?” Branch asked with curiosity as he set his guitar case aside. 

“Dude, you have no idea!” Without having to be asked, Demo immediately sat on the couch and pulled out his classical guitar. “I’ll give you an example before she shows up.” 

Demo’s fingers professionally played the chords, causing Branch to sit down in front of him and watch the peculiar display of Rock culture. It was true what Poppy had said. The rock manager was indeed a good guy and he was profoundly touched by music to a poetic level that Val wasn’t capable of reaching. 

_“_ _Wise men say_

_Only fools rush in_

_But I can't help falling in love with you_

_Shall I stay?_

_Would it be a sin_

_If I can't help falling in love with you?”_

Branch immediately recognized the sparkle on Demo’s eyes, having seen that kind of gleam many times in the mirror. It wasn’t just a song. It meant to feed a hidden feeling. 

_“Like a river flows_

_Surely to the sea_

_Darling, so it goes_

_Some things are meant to be_

_Take my hand_

_Take my whole life too_

_For I can't help falling in love with you”_

Demo was in love, Branch concluded, and that song fit perfectly to the survivalist as well. That longing face, the dreamy eyes. There was no way he was mistaken. Demo had fallen for someone and he hadn’t confessed. Jeez… he could feel the struggle. 

_“Like a river flows_

_Surely to the sea_

_Darling, so it goes_

_Some things are meant to beTake my hand_

_Take my whole life too_

_For I can't help falling in love with you_

_For I can't help falling in love with you”_

“You’re in love with Val.” Branch blurted out, without a second thought and Demo yelled in surprise, almost dropping his beloved guitar on the ground. 

“Are you pop trolls wizards?!” The poor rock troll looked around frantically, afraid that someone might have heard them. The curtains and couches randomly placed around the room could easily hide an eavesdropper. Branch merely raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “Okay, fine, I love her. Just don’t say it so loud!”

“Sorry,” Branch chuckled, dropping the smug attitude and actually feeling sympathy towards his new friend. “I was in the same situation not long ago. I understand you’re nervous.”

“Really?” It was Demo’s turn to smirk at him. “You? In love with a real troll or with your remote?”

The mockery quickly buzzed an alert on Branch. It seemed nobody knew he was dating. Was it actually out of character of him to actually love someone who didn’t live inside an underground fortress? Or was it surprising that he had enough social skills to develop genuine romantic feelings?

“Demo…” Branch said quietly, studying his friend’s expressions as he revealed the truth, “I’ve been with Poppy for months now.”

“The adorable pink queen?!” Demo’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. “Dude, no way!”

“Why is it so surprising?” Branch should be offended, but he only felt a ridiculous curiosity towards the fact that his relationship status caused such astonishment. 

“Oh my hair, you’re serious!” with a shrill, Demo put his hands on his face. “I’m sorry, but… are you keeping it a secret or something? Dude, nobody knows!”

“It’s not a secret… I guess…” Come to think of it… Poppy had never publicly announced that they were together. And nothing really changed in the way they acted with one another, except less teasing and more support of each other’s ideas… 

“I get it,” Demo continued talking, adding to Branch’s thoughts. “She is the Queen; she’s supposed to treat everybody equally. It wouldn’t be cool for others to know she favors one troll,” and that comment just made Branch think that it was true in some way. Trolls might not like to know there were favorites, after all, he witnessed how they fought for her attention all the time, “but you should at least hold hands in public, because there are trolls lining up to ask her out.” 

“Lining... up?!” Branch freaked, standing up abruptly and pacing around the room. “This is ridiculous, nobody ever mentioned…”

“Relax, man. Just come out officially and everybody will back off,” crossing his arms smartly, Demo immediately changed the subject and made Branch sit down closer once more, “Now tell me, how did you confess? Any advice?”

“Oh…” right… it was about Demo’s love problems, Branch swallowed nervously, remembering how he stuttered like a kid just to try to tell the queen how he felt. “... it wasn’t easy, to tell you the truth. I mean, my situation with Poppy was very different from yours. First, she’s the queen and I’m the village’s grump.” Branch expected a compliment about how he wasn’t socially awkward anymore, but nothing but a hum of agreement came from Demo, “and she’s incredibly happy all the time and I usually am the voice of dissent....”

Thinking about Poppy made Branch’s uncomfortable talk suddenly melt into a loving and caring speech. His eyes focused on the classical guitar on his side, with his thoughts playing the sound of her bright laughter that made him warm inside. 

“... but I couldn’t keep my feelings to myself. It was bigger than me. I just…” Branch’s voice trailed off for a second, causing Demo to smile and understand where he was coming from. “... I realized Poppy was my best friend. My only true friend. It’s very complicated to talk to other trolls, you know, but with Poppy the words come easy. Even if we don’t always agree, I feel I can tell her anything,” his teal fingers played the chords, getting a light tune. “And then it hit me that my best friend was the most beautiful girl in the world and I… I don’t know… it just hit me that I was – am - in love with her.”

When Branch lifted his eyes to look at Demo, he found the rock trolls holding a tissue and blowing his nose. 

“Man… you are in love,” sniffing a few more times and causing Branch to blush, Demo seemed to get inspired by the speech, “I wish I could ever say things like that to Val without getting a guitar smashed to my face.”

“Well…” Branch had to agree that Demo might be in a slightly more dangerous situation. “...if you don’t try, you’ll never know.”

“Hair, man… you’re so lucky your girl is sweet and harmonious…”

_“_ _Gotta raise a little hell”_

“Did you hear that?” Demo asked Branch who frowned at the rising hard rock song. “Sounded like Val…”

“Are there people clapping?”

_“Young blood, run like a river_

_Young blood, never get chained_

_Young blood, heaven need a sinner_

_You can't raise hell with a saint”_

“Yep, definitely Val.” Demo nervously stood up, marching towards the other neighbor’s shelter. A crowd gathered in front of the door, trying to look inside. 

_“_ _Young blood, came to start a riot_

_Don't care what your old man say_

_Young blood, heaven hate a sinner_

_But we gonna raise hell anyway”_

Branch tried to look inside as well, but not even Val’s manager was able to push his way in. Val had never made it to the jam section because she was already playing with a different band. Her rebellious side completely overlooked the fact that she had to at least tell them not to wait for her. So little consideration… 

_“Raise hell_

_Yeah_

_Raise hell_

_Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell”_

To date Val was certainly going to be challenging for Demo. Branch couldn’t be more thankful for falling for a sweet, well-behaved, lovely queen as Poppy. 

A not so timid back vocal caught Branch’s attention. 

_“Baby drop them bones_

_Baby sell that soul_

_Baby fare thee well_

_Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell”_

“Dude, Poppy is playing with Val!” Demo managed to pull them inside by squeezing on a tiny space against the walls.

Indeed, there was no mistake.

Branch gulped. 

His girlfriend was savagely singing and jumping around, with a wide reckless smile and with her hard rock outfit partially thrown off. Both girls were glistening with sweat, raging the song like they were exorcising their own demons. 

_“(Oh my my, oh hell yeah)_

_Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell_

_(Oh my my, oh hell yeah)_

_Somebody gotta, gotta raise a little hell”_

And Branch knew precisely what demon she needed to get rid of. 

_“Young blood, stand and deliver_

_No need for a queen affair_

_Young blood, gotta pull the trigger_

_When the whole world running scared_

_Raise hell”_

“Who would have thought that the modest Pop Queen had it in her?!” Someone said right next to Branch, causing him to want to get out of there soon. 

“Popsqueak, you rock so hard when you want to!” Val cackled, finishing the song with one abrupt solo. 

“I feel so alive!” Poppy squealed before dropping on the ground, exhausted. “We gotta raise hell more often!”

As they continued their conversation, the crowd called out for more, getting the girls to grin at each other. The jam section became one massive improvised performance. 

Branch was flabbergasted. His girlfriend was unsuspicious of his presence and looked so incredibly hot. He couldn’t blink away from her. He was ridiculously turned on. 

“So…” Branch heard Demo snickering by his side, “not as sweet as I thought.”

“Nope…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everybody! Just returned from a lovely and refreshing silent retreat. It was amazing and inspiring! 
> 
> At first, I felt little conflicted that the message this chapter sounds a little contrasted from the message of treating people kindly and with gratitude I’ve got there, but hey, it’s not the case at all! We do need an anger outlet to wash our frustrations and bad vibes so we can find balance to socialize in harmony! 
> 
> Mindfullness, silence and nature watching. Everything a big city person like me usually can’t have.
> 
> Thank you all for waiting for me. I needed this time to get myself together. Didn’t think I was going to re-think my whole life, but, hey, that’s a new cycle starting!
> 
> Oh, by the way, more Bridgerton inspired scenes in this chapter because I’m crushing on the Duke.


End file.
